Corsa di Tempo
by Jenny-Beth
Summary: Hermione goes back to Tom Riddle's sixth year and changes the past, present as it were, and future in a huge way!
1. A Proposition

**Disclaimer:** As much as I may wish otherwise, I do not own Harry Potter or any other character that you may recognize.

**Author's Note: **I have lately developed a liking for Tom Riddle (infatuation is more like it!). This just popped into my head and was begging to be written.

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I would like to apologize in advance for any grammatical errors in my spells or title. They are in Italian, which I do not speak. I have used a translator which may or may not be reliable.

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_Chapter 1_

_A Proposition_

This could not be happening. It had to have been a lie. Hermione Granger let out a strangled sob.

One week. It had been one week since she had received the letter; the awful letter saying that her parents were dead. That awful letter had ruined her life.

He was Voldemort. He had killed her parents in some muggle raid. She had run to Dumbledore to ask about all of this. She had wanted to know why he would kill her parents, of all people. He seemed to think that Voldemort had tried to ruin her and thus ruin Harry Potter, her best friend.

So there she was, one week later, sitting on the astronomy tower, wondering what she was supposed to do now. She released another sob into the air. There was just too much to dwell on that she did not wish to ponder. There were just too many bad things.

"Miss Granger," a soft voice spoke. Hermione whipped around to see who had invaded her privacy. There stood Dumbledore, oddly missing the twinkle in his eyes. He spoke again.

"I need something from you." Hermione lifted an eyebrow and nodded for him to continue. "I believe that Harry has been filling you in on the Horcrux situation that he and I find ourselves in?" Hermione nodded again. "I see. What he does not know is that we have little hope of finding them all. There is little chance that we will ever be able to kill him. You have the common sense and the brains" – here Hermione blushed and looked away – "to go back and solve this. The best way to fix something is to deal with it before it truly needs fixing."

Hermione's gaze snapped back up to him. "What are you suggesting, sir?"

"I have discovered a spell that will send a person back in time. I need someone to go back and prevent Tom Riddle from ever becoming Lord Voldemort."

She gaped at Dumbledore. His eyes were still seriously missing their trademark twinkle. "Is time travel not impossible, sir?"

"No, it is not. It is just difficult to accomplish. And," – his eyes began to twinkle a little bit – "if I do say so myself, it takes a truly skilled wizard or witch to accomplish it."

"What is this spell?" Hermione asked; still shocked that such a thing existed.

Dumbledore smiled. Even now she desired to learn something new. "The spell is called Corsa di Tempo. It is an Italian spell that has been used only twice. However, both times were successful. I will give you full information on it if you go, so that my other self can send you here, to your own time."

Hermione blinked a couple of times. "If I agree to this, do I go back alone? And what about all of the rules around changing time? I used a time turner in third year, as I'm sure you recall, and I was told that it would be terrible to change time!" She had gotten herself more worked up with each word. She jumped up and began to pace.

Dumbledore smiled indulgently and said calmly, "I would prefer that you go alone. All of your friends are to prejudiced, and so would not be able to do the job properly. I do, indeed, recall you having a time turner in your third year. I seem to recall you, Harry, and myself conspiring to save Sirius with it. And that night you did change time, I am sure you recall." He smiled even wider when Hermione stopped pacing and stared at him.

"So if I do this, I go back to the past, meet up with Junior Voldemort, and do something so that he does not become Voldemort. You seem to have a lot of faith in me, Professor." She was, again, sounding more and more frantic with each word.

"Well, yes. You would be going back fifty-three years. You would be attending the sixth year of Hogwarts with Tom. I can provide you with papers that say that you are his sister. They are not to be used on Tom but they could be used to help with your mission."

"How?" Hermione looked confused. How could papers stating that she was Tom Riddle's sister help her with this?

"What if I told you that Tom goes to an orphanage for the summer but you had papers saying that you were his older sister. He would owe you would have plenty of time to spend with him. If you do well in the sixth year courses you may make Head Girl twice." He smiled as he watched her eyes go wide at the thought. Hermione was thinking hard about this. He would not have asked her if he did not think that she would do it.

She began to smile. She was thinking that she could change everything. If she did this her parents would be alive when she got back and Harry's parents and godfather would all still be alive. There would be no Death Eaters causing problems. There would be happiness like there was before the war. Yes, there would be bad people, but they could never be as bad as Voldemort.

"I'll do it," she said, still smiling.


	2. Time Travel

**Disclaimer:** I still do not own Harry Potter and whoever else associated with him. If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't, maybe it is mine (I hope so, anyways).

**Author's Note: **So, in this chapter we will blast Hermione into the past. No, she will not fall right in to Tom. These things take time!

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_Chapter 2_

_Time Travel_

Hermione had gathered all manner of clothing and whatnot from her professors. It had taken all of her considerable brain power to convince the professors to part with their old things without telling them why she needed them.

She had gathered everything from robes to swing dresses; from pencil skirts to a sheath evening gown; from cropped jackets to wide brimmed hats. She had managed to obtain some rather old and battered text books, as well. Instead of her handy copy of _Fantastic Beasts__ and __Where__ to Them_, she had a copy of _Magical Creatures_. She was armed with an arsenal of parchment and quills. She had managed to squish all of this into her trunk after she placed all of the things that she normally kept in the trunk in the Room of Requirement. She had, however, refused to leave her textbooks behind.

She shrunk her trunk and placed in the pocket of her robe. She smiled, looked fondly about her at her dorm, turned, and left. She walked through the common room and through the halls until she reached the gargoyles that guarded Professor Dumbledore's office. She smiled somewhat nervously, spoke the password ("licorice wand"), and walked through the door that was revealed.

Dumbledore was not there at the moment so she sat down and looked around. She saw the silver gadgets all working at seemingly nothing on their tables. She saw the perch where Dumbledore's beautiful phoenix normally sat. Instead, there was a scraggly looking bird peering out at her from a pile of ashes.

"Fawkes," she said with a smile, as the phoenix rose from the ashes, shook them off, cooed at her, and then fluttered onto his perch.

Suddenly, Hermione heard the moving staircase that she had come up on her way to Dumbledore's office. She started to feel nervous. What was she thinking, going back fifty-three years? What was she thinking, going back to try to make Voldemort decide not to become Voldemort? This was a foolish idea. She might have run if not for Dumbledore choosing that moment to walk into the room.

"Ah, Miss Granger. I see you have arrived. I was just off getting Minerva to fill out all of the official paperwork that you will need to play the part of a transfer student as well as to play Tom's older sister. Although the envelopes are sealed, I had copies made so that you could read them. You will find it all here." He handed her an envelope. "It is imperative that you find my other self as soon as you can. Try to avoid seeing anyone before me. I will get you all sorted out."

Hermione smiled nervously. "Sir, what will happen if something goes wrong? Or what if I am not successful?"

"Nothing will go wrong. And why would you not be successful? You are the smartest witch of your age, remember? Everything will be fine and you will do a remarkable job. And, if you don't make it, we will deal with that when you get back." Dumbledore was looking at her calmly. He seemed to really believe that she could do this.

"Alright, sir. I'll do it. I think I am ready now."

"Not quite," said Dumbledore, looking at her with his twinkle going full tilt. "You need a name so that people do not recognize you when you get back."

Hermione thought about that for a moment. She finally spoke. "Ummm… I don't know any that I would like. Do you have any ideas?"

"I propose you be called Hermione Griffith. Griffith means 'good faith' and is an old name, even in the wizarding world," Dumbledore said calmly, looking her in the eye. He was beginning to have second thoughts about sending a student back to solve all of their problems.

Hermione met his gaze determinedly. "I'll take it."

Dumbledore blinked and then his eyes began to twinkle again as he smiled. "Very well. I believe that you are prepared. Are you ready, Miss Griffith?"

Hermione swallowed once, thinking of the things that could go wrong before she brought herself back to centre. "Yes, sir."

"Very well. Could you stand in the middle of the office? Alright, I have read that this will not feel pleasant. Brace yourself, my dear."

Hermione tensed as she stood in the middle of Dumbledore's office, waiting for the spell that would send her back.

Dumbledore pointed his wand at her, watching her swallow nervously. He smiled reassuringly and said "Now we begin." He pointed his wand at her and spoke loudly and clearly, "**corsa****cinquanta****di**** tempo ****quattro****anni**."

Hermione felt like she was being bowled over by a truck full of bricks. She doubled over in pain as she watched the friendly face of Professor Dumbledore disappear into the swirling colours that were developing around her. They were dizzying, so she closed her eyes.

She soon came to a bone-jarring halt, feeling like she had been slammed into a brick wall. She opened her eyes and found herself in the Room of Requirement. She moaned and grabbed her stomach when she attempted to move. She flinched as she heard voices approaching. They were so loud.

Suddenly the door before her opened. In walked none other than a younger Professor Dumbledore and a rather unattractive man whose portrait she had seen in Dumbledore's office in her time. She gaped at them through her dazed stupor.

"My, what have we here, Albus?"

Dumbledore looked at the other man, who had spoken. He arched one eyebrow and said "I'm sure I don't know, Armando."

"Look after her, Albus. I have that meeting with the board of governors."

Hermione blinked, dazed. She could not imagine what type of man would walk into a room with a girl who cannot even move and then leave for a meeting. Dumbledore seemed unsurprised, however. He smiled at her curiously.

"I am Professor Albus Dumbledore. I teach Transfiguration here, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am going to levitate you to the hospital wing. Is that alright, Miss?"

Hermione tried to nod and pain shot through her. She instead settled for croaking out, "Yes."

Dumbledore pulled his wand out of his sleeve and pointed it at her. She moaned and braced herself for the jolt that she believed would come next. She had, however, forgotten that Albus Dumbledore was a brilliant wizard. She felt nothing but the release of the pressure on her back from the floor. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the release from her pain.

When she opened her eyes again, she was hovering about two inches above a bed in the hospital wing. There was a Mediwitch there, but she was unfamiliar. She was also pouring some rather vile potions down Hermione's throat. She was saying things like, "this will help with the pain, dear" and "this will help you sleep."

As the witch had said, Hermione fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	3. Transfer Student

**Disclaimer:** When I looked in the mirror this morning I was appalled to find that I am not JKR, I am a poor college kid.

**Author's Note: **Alright. Hermione wakes up now. I think maybe we'll introduce her to Tom. What do you think?

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I would like to dedicate this chapter to LNluvsHostile17 for helping me out with a few things and generally supporting me. (If it sucks, I apologize).

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_Chapter 3_

_Transfer Student_

Hermione awoke and was mildly surprised to realize that she was not in pain. She sat up and looked around her. This was clearly the Hogwarts hospital wing. So far, so good.

Suddenly the door burst open and a boy slowly walked in, obviously trying very hard not to limp. The Mediwitch from the night before burst out of her office and rushed forward.

"Mr. Riddle. What happened?"

The young man's face remained mysteriously blank as he looked at the Mediwitch. His deep grey eyes flashed a little bit when she called him Mr. Riddle, but he said nothing about it and said, "A stray hex in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Madame White."

Madame White clucked to herself, muttered something about incompetent professors, and then settled Riddle into a bed. She rushed about and soon he was settled into a bed, a potion poured down his throat, and was looking around for something to entertain himself with. Madame White had returned to her office after muttering something about paperwork. Riddle's eyes soon fell on Hermione.

"Who are you?"

Hermione looked at the young man in the other bed. She studied him for a moment, wondering how to react. After all, he would go on and kill her parents. She was filled with hatred at the sight of him. On the other hand, he had not done that yet. If she did her job correctly, he would never do _any_ of the horrible things that he had done in her time. She suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing that Riddle was still looking at her, waiting for an answer.

"My name is Hermione Griffith. And you are…"

It was his turn to stare at her. She was uncomfortable, just sitting there, waiting for him to say something. She _did_ already know who he was and what kinds of things he liked to do for fun but she certainly wasn't going to tell _him_ that!

"Tom Riddle," he spoke into the silence. She shook herself out of her thoughts and looked at him. He continued to stare at her and this time she did not think of or look at anything but the young man in front of her.

She noted, in spite of herself, that he was handsome. He seemed tall but it was hard to tell because he was lying down. He had hair that was such a dark brown it was nearly black. It was neatly parted slightly to the side and charmed to stay out of his face. The dark grey eyes that she had noticed earlier were strangely void of emotion. For that matter, Hermione thought, his whole face was blank.

He suddenly spoke. "I've never seen you here before. Where did you come from?" His voice was demanding, like he expected an answer and heaven help her if she did not give him one that he believed.

"I'm a transfer student," Hermione stated, looking him in the eye and daring him to contradict her. He didn't. He did, however, seem to have problems believing her.

"Why weren't you here for the first week, then? That would be when transfer students arrive, would it not?" Something about the way he worded that question made her think of Professor Snape.

"I had to finish getting all of my paperwork in order."

"Where are you from?" he demanded again. It was making Hermione angry.

"You know what? I am in a hospital wing for a reason. I do not want to deal with your annoying questions right now. I want to sleep!" And with that, Hermione rolled over. She stared blankly at the wall. Riddle was moving around in his bed behind her and then it was quiet.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Later, when Hermione woke up, the hospital wing was still quiet. She rolled over onto her back and looked over to where she had last seen him: his hospital bed. He was not there. She looked for Madame White, but she was absent, too.

She sat up. This was the perfect time to read the papers that Dumbledore had sent with her. '_Crap. I forgot to give the papers to Dumbledore!_' she thought to herself. She shrugged. Too late now, anyways.

She opened the unsealed envelope, which contained her copy of all of the documents she needed. She read through her transcript, which was accurate with the exception of the school name in the letter head. Apparently she had attended Beaubatons for the last five years. '_I guess I had better brush up in my French,_' Hermione thought.

As she scanned through the other papers the door to the hospital was opened again. She quickly transfigured the papers and the envelope they had been in into quills and blank parchment. She stared into space for a moment before looking over at whoever it was that had come in.

Dumbledore stood there, looking at her in amusement. Hermione smiled back at him, noticing the twinkle in his eyes. He looked so much younger and happier.

"Miss, I teach transfiguration. I am sure you are aware of my ability to recognize someone transfiguring something."

Hermione blushed. "Sorry, sir. I was reading something that no one knows I have and I suppose I shouldn't." She rummaged through her pockets, while he continued to look entertained, and brought out the envelope for Dumbledore. "I was supposed to give you this upon my arrival but I did not remember." She held the envelope out but he made no move to take it.

"My dear girl, why do you have something you are supposed to give me? Should it not go to the Headmaster?"

Hermione sighed. "Sir, I need to speak with you privately."

The professor arched an eyebrow but stepped toward her bedside, drew the curtains, and put a silencing charm on their cubicle.

"Professor Dumbledore, my name is Hermione Granger and I am from the future."

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

After Hermione explained everything to Dumbledore he agreed to take her to the Headmaster upon her release from the hospital wing. Shortly thereafter, Madame White made her appearance and released Hermione.

On the way up to the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore spoke.

"Miss Griffith, there are some things that you should know. Grindewald is still in existence. I have no desire for you to tell me or anyone else what happens in the future but you should know that you have escaped one Dark Lord only to be in the presence of another."

She groaned. "I had forgotten about him." She felt like smacking herself in the forehead. That was a big event that took place _this year_! She should have remembered that.

Soon they reached the gargoyles that she remembered. Professor Dumbledore said smoothly "boss man" and Hermione had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. '_Oh, this is going to be fun,_' she thought.

Sure enough, when they came in the first thing that was said to them was, "can't you see I'm busy right now? I don't have time for anything else right now!"

Dumbledore glanced at Hermione, who really did role her eyes this time. He smiled and looked back at the Headmaster. "Armando, I think you might want to make time for this."

The Headmaster looked up. "Ah. My dear, you're up. Brilliant. Have a seat." She did as she was told in the seat that he had gestured to. "I am Headmaster Armando Dippet"

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**Author's Note:** I have been asked something a few times and thought I would clear it up. Hermione is not Tom's sister, nor will he ever think that she is. There is someone later on in the story that she will have to convince. It is no one at Hogwarts. Rest assured. I do not support (or write about) incest. Oh, and Tom will not fall in love with her until after she pulls the stunt of being his sister. I hope you're here for the long haul, folks. 


	4. Making a Friend

**Disclaimer: **Anything you recognize belongs to JKR. She just lets them come out and play with me sometimes. If it doesn't belong to her, it belongs to Bedouin Soundclash (When The Night Feels My Song). I love that song.

**Author's Note:** So, I have decided to skip the chat with Dippet. Why? Because I have a hard time writing such a character as him. Has anyone else looked Armando Dippet up on the Lexicon? Arg.

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_Chapter 4_

_Making a Friend_

After the meeting with Headmaster Dippet, Hermione just wanted to go down to the kitchen and get a nice hot cup of hot cocoa. Being highly intelligent, she could only deal with so much stupidity at a time.

'_Honestly. He's worse than Ron!_' she thought. '_So much for that being a physical impossibility._'

As she though, Professor Dumbledore was leading her around the school under the guise that he was showing her around. In actuality, he was reviewing her cover story: that she was a transfer student from Salem Academy in America (_A/N: Is there actually a school by that name in America or did someone make it up? If the latter is correct, forgive me for using your idea_). She was not really listening. After all, she had all of the same documents he had read.

"Will that work for you, Miss Griffith?"

Hermione looked at Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling again. "Miss Griffith, I hope yo will pay more attention is class. You will need to maintain those grades of yours."

Hermione flushed and hung her head. "I'm sorry, Professor. I was thinking about our meeting with the headmaster."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled even more. It was alarming, really. "What do you think of our headmaster?" he asked innocently.

She flushed even more as she looked up at him. Neatly evading the question, she asked, "Sir, when do I begin classes?"

"That is what I was attempting to tell you earlier, Miss Griffith. You will begin classes tomorrow. I will give you your timetable at breakfast."

"Thank-you, sir." Hermione smiled as she thought about how little Dumbledore would change in the next fifty-four years. "Professor, do you suppose you could show me where to find my dorm? I'm awfully tired." It felt odd asking directions to a place where she had lived for the last five years but there were other people around.

"I am sorry, Miss Griffith. I have a staff meeting in exactly nine minutes and fifty-three seconds. However, Tom, here, can show you where to find it."

Tom had been on his way to the Charms classroom when he had the misfortune of coming across his least favourite professor and the new girl. He stopped and nodded to Professor Dumbledore, looked at the new girl and asked, "Which dorm?"

Hermione returned his blank stare and replied, "Gryffindor tower." He scowled at her. She gave him her best _©Professor __Snape__ Smirk_.

"How very Slytherin of you, Miss Griffith." Hermione and Tom both turned around. They had both forgotten that Professor Dumbledore was still standing there. He looked as though he were amused by their exchange.

Tom's face remained impassive as Hermione flushed once again. Dumbledore broke the awkward silence.

"Mr. Riddle, would you be so kind as to show Miss Griffith to the Gryffindor common room?"

Tom nodded, turned and walked away. Hermione glanced at Dumbledore and then took off after him, calling good-bye to the professor over her shoulder. He watched them go with a smile on his face.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

After Tom had (silently) deposited Hermione at the portrait of the fat lady, she went into the tower. The common room was exactly the way it had been when she had last seen it. There were the cushy chairs in front of the fire where Ron and Harry had played wizard's chess. There was the table in the corner where she always did her homework. She did, however, notice that the corner where Fred and George had tested their products in first year students was slightly less charred.

The common room suddenly went quiet as everyone stopped what they were doing in order to get a look at her. They had heard there was a transfer student from America at Hogwarts. Hermione smiled nervously and quietly said hello before taking off to her dorm room.

In the room she found a girl sitting on one of the beds, crying. Hermione walked over and asked tentatively, "What's wrong?"

The girl looked at her in shock. "Who are you?"

"My name is Hermione Griffith. I'm a transfer student from America. Who are you?" she repeated the girl's frank question.

"Matilda Rotherst (_A/N: She's not canon. So sue me, I made her up._) but everyone calls me Maddy. Matilda is a wretched name."

Hermione smiled. It was a pretty awful name. "What's wrong, Maddy?"

"Abraxas Malfoy and Cygnus Black were just being the slimy Slytherin gits that they are."

Hermione looked at the girl with sympathy, having been on the wrong end on entirely too many mudblood comments. "What did they say?"

Maddy sniffled. "Oh, just that my mother was a half-blood so I am just a miserable mudblood."

Hermione smiled. "They'll forget all about you when they find out about me. I am a muggle-born."

"Maddy looked panicked. "You have to stay away from them! They do terrible things to people. They threatened a Ravenclaw girl but the teachers didn't believe that their best student would be involved in something like that. Except Dumbledore. He believed that he would do it."

Hermione frowned. This sounded sickeningly familiar. "It was Tom Riddle, wasn't it?" At Maddy's nod she continued. "He and I have met twice since my arrival. He was in the hospital wing at the same time as me and he showed me up here tonight because Dumbledore had a meeting he had to go to."

Maddy looked alarmed. "Stay away from him. He's dangerous. I think he had something to do with the stuff that happened two years ago."

Hermione made herself pretend she had no idea what the girl was talking about. "What happened two years ago?"

Maddy stopped looking so panicked and started to look relaxed. Storytelling was obviously something she enjoyed. "I was in fourth year. There was writing on the walls about an '_heir of Slytherin'. _And then there was an attack. A muggle-born girl died. She was an annoying girl that no one really liked. She had _the _most annoying voice known to man kind." Hermione winced, knowing exactly what Myrtle sounded like. It was particularly awful when she laughed. Maddy continued, "Anyways, no one really wanted her dead. We all felt terrible when we found out. All except the Slytherins, who acted like nothing had happened. I think that it was Riddle."

Hermione looked at Maddy for a moment. "What makes you think it was him and not some other Slytherin?" she asked, knowing full well that it _had_ been him. Of course, she couldn't tell Maddy that.

"He seems like their ring leader. It's almost like they are afraid of him. Can you imagine what it would be like to have all of the evil people in the school afraid of you?" she asked.

Hermione smiled, glad they were off the topic of one Tom Marvolo Riddle. "I imagine it would go to one's head rather quickly," she answered.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

The next morning Hermione jumped out of bed, eager to begin a new year with all of these new students. She smiled as she walked the bathroom and found herself singing in the shower.

_Into the undergrowth__Twist and turn on a lonely road__In the twilight the day turns to night and I'm alone_

Depressing as that was, she did not stop smiling. She practically danced out of the bathroom and smiled as Maddy dragged herself out of bed, grumbling something about hating mornings. She continued to hum as she pulled together all of the books she would need for the day plus some 'light' reading, making sure that she had all the quills and parchment she would need and then some. It was her nature to be prepared.

When Maddy strolled out of the bathroom, Hermione was mildly surprised by how pretty the girl was. She looked a lot better when her hair was all in place and there was no mascara running down her cheeks. Her straight, red, nearly waist length red hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was sporting a skirt and top that showed all of her curves. Definitely better than she had looked the night before.

After throwing on their robes and grabbing their books, the two girls headed down toward the Great Hall for breakfast. They were accosted by two males in Slytherin robes.

"Hello, Mudblood. I see you've made a friend of the new girl. Don't get used to it."

Hermione arched an eyebrow. "Have we met?" she asked, knowing full well that they hadn't.

The blonde boy reached out his right hand. "I am Abraxas Malfoy. This is Cygnus Black. Pleased to meet you."

Hermione viewed his hand with disdain. "If only I could say the same. I may be new here, but isn't the Slytherin dorm in the dungeons? And isn't the Great Hall between here and there?"

Malfoy shoved his hands in his pockets and practically hissed at her, "So they are."

She smiled brightly. "Then I suggest you and your dog walk with us."

Black looked confused, which made Maddy and Hermione laugh. "He's a rather slow dog, isn't he?" Hermione spoke through her laughter.

Malfoy glared at her and said smoothly, "Black and I would not wish to be seen in the presence of such filth."

Hermione looked at him in mock amazement. "Oh my, such a clever sounding sentence. Did ickle you come up with that all by your lonesome?" After that he was rendered speechless with rage so she smiled sweetly at him and said smoothly, "Don't be long boys. I hear Mr. Riddle may want to hear what took you so long. I want to be there when you tell him."

And with that, Hermione and Maddy sailed away, laughing gaily.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

"What happened?" Tom practically hissed at Malfoy. "You were supposed to discretely follow the new girl and find out what you could about her. I didn't tell you to walk in practically with her."

"She saw us. We exchanged a few… words."

Tom heard the hesitation in Malfoy's voice and snarled, "What actually happened, Malfoy? If you don't tell me, I have a feeling she will be happy to enlighten me. If that happens to be the case…" he trailed off and then muttered quietly, "woe betide you."

Malfoy looked confused. "What?"

Tom sighed and allowed himself to slouch a little bit. This was something he generally avoided but he felt he deserved compensation for Malfoy's larger-than-usual excessive stupidity. Honestly. Why was he allowed to exist? He ignored Malfoy's question and turned to Black. "What actually happened, Black?"

Black smirked. He was actually far smarter than Malfoy was. He was simply quieter. "Dear Abraxas, here, felt the need to converse with the new girl. She refused to have anything to do with him, insulted him a few times and when he could not keep up with her any more, she told him to hurry back to you."

"How does she know about any connection between us?" Tom asked, honestly confused, though you would never know it to look at his black expression.

"She was with the mudblood, Rotherst. I imagine they talked after our run-in with her last night."

Tom looked at Black, his expression suddenly dangerous. "You had a run-in with her last night?"

Black had the decency to look ashamed. "Yeah. We ran into her on the way to the library after dinner. We were going to look up that school in America and then she was in the hallway, headed toward us. Malfoy threw his usual upsetting comments and then she took off, crying."

Tom turned to Malfoy. "What have you to say for yourself, Mr. Malfoy?" His voice was cold and hard. For an insane moment Malfoy thought he saw Tom's eyes turn red.

"I'm sorry, M'lord."

Tom turned away from Malfoy and said to Black, "We have a meeting tonight. Spread the word to the appropriate people, would you, Mr. Black?"

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table, only half listening to the people chattering around her. She, instead, was watching the Slytherin table. The way Riddle talked to Malfoy and then Black made her believe that he had been behind their little chat on the way to breakfast. She caught Tom's eye and once again put on her _©Professor __Snape__ Smirk_. He nodded to her and went back to eating his breakfast.

She then began to listen to the conversation around her. There was a quidditch match on Saturday. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She really didn't like quidditch. It looked to her to be the perfect opportunity to break every bone in your body. She was about to start talking about something else to an equally bored looking Maddy when someone spoke to her.

"Miss Griffith, I have your timetable. If you look it over now I can make any necessary changes before you go to your first class." She looked up to see Professor Dumbledore standing there, smiling and yes, twinkling at her.

"Certainly, Professor. Thank you." She reviewed it quickly and found everything to be in order. "This looks fine, sir."

"Alright then, Miss Griffith. Have a good day." Then he was gone.

Hermione turned to look at Maddy, who had taken her schedule. "It looks like we have all of our classes together except potions. I am in Advanced Potions."

Hermione smiled. "I was offered the chance to take that but decided that I have enough on my plate this year, what with being at a new school and all."

Maddy smiled eagerly and said, "Your in Arithmancy! I have absolutely no one that I like in that class. It's me, a bunch of Ravenclaws, and Riddle." She spat out his name as if it were some sort of disease, which made Hermione smile.

"Well, I guess I am here to relieve your pain."

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione strolled into her first class of the year, Potions. She smiled as she walked into the familiar dungeons, which looked so different without Professor Snape making the so dark and eerie. She looked around. She was not late and yet the only seat left was next to none other than Tom Riddle. She glared as she made her way over to her seat.

She sat down and took out her Potions textbook, some parchment, and exactly two quills. She sat them on her half of the table rather neatly and then glanced at Riddle's side of the table. She was somewhat annoyed to notice that he had also set up his side of the table neatly. She looked up into his face to find him staring at her with that blank look that was so quickly becoming familiar to her.

"Can I help you?" she asked, looking annoyed (wouldn't you be if the guy who went on to kill your parents stared at you?).

He _almost_ looked amused, as one side of his mouth tipped upward just a smidgen. "No."

"Well then the only conclusions I can draw are that you are trying to kill me or that you are a half-wit. Being as we never leave the school and it is nearly impossible to kill me under the circumstances, I am forced to believe that you are a half-wit."

The near-amusement left Tom's face as he listened to her. Just as he was about to turn away and ignore her (with plans to ruin her potion, of course) she said smoothly, "unless you really _are_ the 'heir of Slytherin'." As she said this, she drew air quotes with her fingers. He tensed.

"What do you know about that? And why would I do that." He said with a deceptively nonchalant voice.

She put on that smirk again. "Oh, one could assume that since you associate with the other Slytherins, you are all about pureblood supremacy, which amuses me. You are a half-blood, are you not? And you would be surprised what I know about that."

She probably would have said more but the professor chose that moment to make his appearance. Professor Slughorn walked into the room and looked around. When he found Hermione, he practically beamed. "Class, we have anew student. This – he gestured toward her – is Hermione Griffith. She is an exchange student from Salem Academy in America. Please try to make her feel welcome."

Hermione nearly groaned as she looked at the rather round professor. He had blonde hair with a small bald patch growing near the back. She did not want all of this attention. As she tried to avoid eye contact with the professor she made notice of the other people in the class. Who was sitting in front of her? She groaned again. Why were Malfoy and Black plaguing her today?


	5. Facing Slytherins

**Disclaimer:** You see it + You recognize it Not mine. You see it + You don't recognize it Mine. My own. My precious… sorry. I got a little carried away there.

**Author's Note**: Wow, I love all of my reviewers. You guys make me feel loved! Since I have solemnly sworn not to put author's notes in the story (it ruins the flow), I will tell you now what I would have told you later in regards to Cygnus Black and Abraxus Malfoy. When I think of Blaise, I picture him kind of being like Blaise Zabini. When I picture Malfoy, I can't help but think that he is a bumbling idiot who does not deserve to live. There. I said it. On to the story.

* * *

_Chapter 5_

_Facing __Slytherins_

After Hermione suffered through double Potions she just wanted to curl up and sleep. Unfortunately the day went on, whether she wanted it to or not.

At dinner that evening, Hermione and Maddy chattered away about how Hermione's first day of classes had gone. They both grumbled and complained about Tom Riddle and his 'evil sidekick's' (Maddy's words).

"I asked him if he was the heir of Slytherin."

Maddy was shocked. "You did _what_?"

"We had a discussion about whether he was a murderer or a half-wit. I told him that I thought he was a half-wit… unless he is the heir of Slytherin," Hermione finished cheerfully.

"Wow, Hermione. Between our run-in with Malfoy and Black this morning and your mouthing off to Riddle, you'll be killed in your bed!"

Hermione could just picture Mrs. Weasley standing there, hands on her hips, and saying (rather loudly, as she did often), "Hermione Granger! You can't talk to You-Know-Who like that! You'll be murdered in your bed!" It would be reminiscent of the time Mrs. Weasley had seen the You-No-Poo poster in the window of Fred and George's shop.

Hermione snapped out of her reverie when Maddy waved her hand in front of her face. "Hello! Earth to Hermione. Really, you should be careful around the Slytherins. They're dangerous!"

"Can we talk about something else?" Hermione asked snappishly. She already knew even better than Maddy what Tom Riddle could do.

Maddy looked surprised. "Um, okay. Are you going to the quidditch match on Saturday? It's Ravenclaw versus Slytherin."

Hermione smiled. "I was thinking that I would go to the library instead. I don't really like quidditch and I have a week worth of classes to catch up in."

"I don't really like quidditch, either, but I go to support Stan. He plays tomorrow." Maddy's face lit up as she spoke.

"I assume that Stan is a Ravenclaw boy?" Hermione asked.

Maddy's eyes widened. "Have I not told you about Stan? He's only the most gorgeous boy ever! He's on the Ravenclaw quidditch team. He plays as chaser. He has the most beautiful blue eyes, sandy brown hair, and he stands at just under six feet so I could wear heels when he's around" – she could with anyone. She was rather short – "and he's not dating anyone right now so I stand a chance and-"

"Sweet Merlin! I get it! He's perfect in every way," Hermione cut in. Honestly, Maddy had started to sound like Lavender Brown. Hermione did not particularly like Lavender, and it was not only because of their petty argument over Ron (which Hermione had won), but also because the two girls were just too different. The last thing Hermione wanted was for her only friend to turn out like Lavender.

Maddy smiled dreamily toward the Ravenclaw table. "He is perfect." She cast a sideways glance at Hermione. "He's mine."

Hermione was saved from answering when Maddy quickly looked at her dinner plate, frantically whispering, "He's looking this way!"

Hermione groaned and glanced at the Slytherin table. Tom was listening to something Black was saying, while Malfoy sat sulking and picking at his dinner. Suddenly Tom turned and snapped something to Malfoy, who perked up and replied. He returned to his dinner with all of the gusto that Ron put into eating. Hermione looked away, thoroughly disgusted.

After dinner, Hermione headed to the library to work on her Potions essay on the Wolfsbane potion. Obviously, they were not going to make it in class. That would be both illegal and dangerous. Making Wolfsbane was tricky even in her time, which was fifty-four years more advanced.

She arrived in the library, selected a table to work at, and set to work. She soon got up to fetch some books. Just as she was approaching the section she needed, she heard cursing. Curious as to who else was in the section, she peeked around the corner.

There was Tom Riddle, heir of Slytherin, trying not to dance around the aisle in pain. It looked as if he had dropped a heavy book on his foot. Hermione walked over and picked up the book. He scowled at her, thinking that she was going to walk off with it.

"What are you doing here?" he asked sharply, trying to regain his dignity.

Hermione glanced at the book she was holding and then looked back to Tom. "The same thing as you, apparently: working on my Potions essay." She smiled and handed him back the book. "There is some good information in there. I've read it."

To looked at her. His face was as impassive as ever but he was confused. She had had the book in her hands and she gave it to him, knowing full well that the tome contained the information he was looking for. He nodded to her and said slowly, as if trying each word on for size, "Thank you."

She smiled at him. "You're welcome." Her mind was working like crazy. The heir of Slytherin and the future dark lord and said thank you to her, a muggle-born. To say that she was stunned would be like calling Hogwarts a cottage on the lake. It was a gross understatement.

Tom gave her one last glance and then headed off to his table, the book tucked securely under his arm. She smiled after him and then went looking for a book she could use. She soon had a small pile sitting on her worktable.

A little while later Hermione felt as if she were being watched. She looked up and saw Tom standing there looking painfully unsure of himself. She took pity on him and asked, "Can I help you?"

He smirked, recalling Potions earlier that day. "No."

She smirked back. "Then why are you here?"

He looked nervous again and held out the book. It was the one he had dropped earlier. "It was very useful. I've finished with it and I thought you might want it for your essay."

Hermione smiled at him. "Thank you. It really will be helpful." She glanced down at the book and then looked back at him. He didn't look nervous anymore, but he didn't look like he was going to leave anytime soon, either.

"Can I help you with something, Tom?"

His face darkened. "Don't call me that."

She looked surprised. "Why not? It is your name, isn't it?"

He continued to scowl. "There are lots of Toms."

She looked at him and suddenly understood what he was saying. "Why do you want to be different so badly? Why not be happy with who you are?"

He stared at her and did not answer so she took it a step further. "Why create a new name and then not let anyone use it, Voldemort?"

Tom backed off as if he had been slapped and his face became hard. "How do you know about that?"

Hermione looked at him sadly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me." The way he said it, it sounded like an order. She smiled, not at all intimidated, and said nothing.

"_Tell me!_" This time he sounded angry and Hermione saw his eyes flash red.

She continued to smile and said softly, "You have your secrets and I found them out without asking you about them. I have my secrets. You can try to find the answer on your own, don't you think, Tom?"

Now he was furious. She knew that he hated that name and she used it anyways. She was the only student in the school who was not afraid of him, it seemed. "I will find out," he hissed. "And when I do I will use it as I see fit."

She smirked. "Woe is me, for the heir of Slytherin has it in for me."

His eyes widened slightly but his facial expression did not change. "I thought I was the half-wit, not the murderer."

She smiled innocently and said, "I said that you would only be a murderer if you were the heir of Slytherin, which you are. Poor Myrtle." With that, she gathered her things and left the library.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

That night at the meeting, Tom looked at Cygnus Black and said "I want you to find out everything you can about Hermione Griffith. She knows too much and I want to know how she knows. You can enlist the help of anyone except that half-wit, Malfoy."

Black nodded and then asked, "Since when did you use the term 'half-wit'? Isn't that one of Griffith's sayings?" He wisely left out the detail that when he had heard her use it, she had been using it to describe Riddle.

Tom scowled (yet again) and said, "Mr. Black, I don't recall asking you for your opinion on how I speak. What ever will be next? Will you start disobeying orders?"

Black lowered his head. "No, M'lord. I apologize."

Suddenly Abraxus Malfoy, idiot extraordinaire, burst forth. "Ooo! Ciggy's getting in trouble!"

Tom turned to Malfoy and said, "Abraxus, you will _never_ call Mr. Black 'Ciggy' again. You will also not burst in on my conversations. And if you must mock Black, do it on your own time, not mine. Just… drop dead," he finally snarled.

Malfoy, being the idiot that he was, failed to drop dead when he was told. Pity.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

The next day after class, Hermione wandered out of the castle on her own. She inhaled deeply as a soft breeze blew her hair gently out of her face. A bird sang from its perch in a tree down by the lake and the giant squid was happily waving its tentacles at her.

Tom had left her alone that day, seemingly intent on ignoring her. Maddy wished that she was lucky enough to be ignored by the Slytherins. Hermione simply smiled. She knew better. She was only being ignored by Tom. Malfoy followed her everywhere and every time she turned around she was sure she saw Black. She was certainly not flying under the not-yet-invented radar.

She felt someone looking at her and due to the events of the day, she was reasonably sure that she knew who it was.

"Hello, Mr. Black," she called out. She heard a small sigh and then he appeared beside her.

"Hi," he said quietly. It was at that moment that Hermione realized that this was the first time that she had heard him speak. She smiled.

"Would you care to tell me why you have been following me all day?"

"I guess I'm just curious," he replied.

Hermione laughed. "On whose behalf: Riddle's or Malfoy's?"

Black looked at her, suddenly realizing that she was both intelligent and observant. With that blinding flash of insight, he offered his hand.

"Call me Cygnus," he said with his best charming smile. She laughed. She was laughing at him!

"Sorry, you just remind me of someone I used to know," she said, thinking of Sirius Black. They were related after all. "You never answered my question."

"What question?" he asked innocently.

She laughed at him again. "Who is it who really wants to know about me? Riddle? Malfoy?"

"Both. And myself, of course," he responded smoothly.

"Of course," she agreed, still smiling. Cygnus Black was a lot smarter than he looked. She decided to use her considerable cleverness. "Well, since Malfoy has been following me, you can't be 'curious' for him. You also seem to smart to take orders from him, so you must be doing Riddle's dirty work."

He smirked at her. "How clever of you. What if I _am_ doing it for myself?"

Hermione smirked at him. "Whatever you say, Mr. Black."

"I told you to call me Cygnus," he said, with mild annoyance lacing his tone.

"And I chose not to. Have a good evening," she said cheerfully. Then she headed toward the castle.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

"What did you learn?" Tom demanded of Black.

"She knows that I was watching. In spite of everything I said, she is certain that I ma watching her for you. I tried to be friendly to get more information, seeing as spying was a flop. She stayed rather aloof."

To growled. He knew that Black was good at this cloak and dagger nonsense, so it was pointless to ask someone else to take over. The rest were dunderheads anyways. It looked like he was just going to have to suck it up and get closer to one Hermione Griffith.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I tried to make this chapter as long as the last one but it did not work out that way. Sorry, all. I will try to make it longer next time. I have bad news for you guys. I am one of those crazy people who like to update as often as I physically can. I will not be able to until Monday night. Look at the bright side: on Tuesday morning there will be a shiny new chapter for you to read! 


	6. Meeting An Old Friend

**Disclaimer: **You know the drill.

**Author's Note:** So, I think we'll meet and old friend again in this chapter. He's often forgotten in the stories set in this time, although we know for sure that they were there. This chapter is dedicated to Right or Ryn, who reminded me that this character is there for me to play with.

I have also made a change from a later chapter. Thanks to the Almighty Cheeze-it (I hope I spelled that correctly) for pointing out that it makes no sense to have Maddy in Advanced Potions while Tom and Hermione (the geniuses) are in normal potions. I have reversed that as of now.

_Chapter 6_

_Meeting An Old Friend_

Abraxas Malfoy looked around him. Cygnus Black was with that Griffith girl that Riddle was way too infatuated with lately. Riddle could be seen also looking at Black and Griffith. She was smiling and Black looked about as cheerful as he ever did. He always looked a little melancholy.

He looked at Tom Riddle again. There was something different about the way Riddle was looking at them. He looked slightly less predatory. Thankfully, Malfoy did not notice that. What he did notice was that Griffith was perfectly aware that Riddle was looking at her and did not seem to care. She kept glancing over at him and then turning back to Black. Why was she okay with the most frightening guy in Hogwarts staring at her like that? Malfoy decided that he needed more information on this girl. He needed to talk to her mudblood friend, Rotherst.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Maddy Rotherst was sitting on a stairwell watching the Ravenclaw boy, Stan, talk to the captain of his quidditch team. He was such a beautiful person. She sighed.

Suddenly there was a shadow looming over her. She looked up into the pale blue eyes of Abraxas Malfoy. She quickly jumped up to a standing position. She was terrified and he knew it.

"Hello, mudblood." She just stood there, staring at him in terror. He rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to eat you. I just want to know what you know about Griffith."

Maddy quickly sorted through her memories of the past two weeks that she had known Hermione, trying to find something that would make him leave her alone. Then she had it.

"Mmph," she muttered.

"What?" he asked, annoyed by her apparent lack of ability to form a coherent word.

"Muggle-born," Maddy said quietly. "She's muggle-born."

Malfoy's eyes took on a maniacal gleam. "Is she now?" he softly asked rhetorically. He turned and left the mudblood, Rotherst, to go and find Riddle.

When he found Riddle, he was in the Slytherin common room, staring into the fire. He looked as if he were thinking very hard.

Malfoy spoke quietly, not wanting to be hexed. "Milord."

Tom looked up. "Malfoy"

Malfoy smirked and said (as smoothly as he could manage), "I have learned something about the girl, Griffith."

Riddle arched an eyebrow and asked amusedly, "Really? And what's that?" Knowing that Malfoy was an idiot, he expected it to be something that he already knew or would not care about. How wrong he was.

"She is a mudblood," Malfoy said. He waited for the praise that Black or any of the others would have received for their work. He did not get it.

Tom was surprised but his impassive mask stayed in place as he dismissed Malfoy. He could feel his world shifting around him. She had bested him and his junior Death Eaters many times already. Soon he would change that. He settled down to think.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Maddy and Hermione were in the library working on Arithmancy when Tom found them the next evening. They were quietly talking about their assignment as they flipped through various books. He wandered over to their table.

Maddy saw him and looked ready to cry. Hermione smiled and said, "Hello, Tom."

"Hello, mudblood," said Tom smoothly. She looked shocked, which caused his smirk to grow wider. "Oh yes. You didn't know that I knew that, did you?"

Hermione asked, "How do you know that?"

"I have my sources," he said smoothly.

Finally Hermione regained some of her composure. "This is almost funny coming from a half-blood." Her voice was not quite as steady as usual.

"Better to be half-blood than mudblood." Even as he spoke he wondered, yet again, where she got her information.

She gave a very unlady-like snort, grabbed her books, and left. Maddy followed, wondering how long it would take for Hermione to remember that she was the only person who had been told that particular piece of information.

As it turned out, it did not take Hermione that long at all. In fact, she had it figured out by the time they reached the lake.

She stood and silently looked out at the water for a moment before turning to Maddy. "I told you, and only you, that I am muggle-born. Want to tell me how that information wound up in the hands of your least favourite people?"

Maddy felt tears well up in her eyes. She looked out at the lake as she spoke. "Malfoy came up to me and called me a mudblood, and then asked me what I knew about you. I just wanted him to leave me alone."

Hermione asked, "Did he threaten you or hurt you?"

Maddy looked relieved. Hermione was simply concerned about what had happened to her, or so she thought. "No."

Hermione arched an eyebrow and asked, "Do you really have so little backbone that you sell out your friends simply because being in someone's presence is not pleasant for you?"

Maddy flushed and looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry."

Hermione walked away. Her entire mission hinged on Tom believing that she was a pureblood. Should she just go home or keep on trying? She did miss all of her friends: Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Victor. On the other hand, if she did not stick it out, all of them could die in the war.

Hermione set her shoulders. She would keep on trying.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom was quiet as he thought about what he had learned. He stared into the Slytherin common room fire and pondered Hermione Griffith once again.

He liked to check his information; especially when it came from sources such as Abraxas Malfoy. Because he liked to check his information, he had gone to Griffith. She had confirmed his information and he had been stunned. She was smart and kind and everything that he did not associate with muggles. But there she was, the muggle-born Gryffindor lioness. He was shocked.

And then there was her information. Who in Merlin's name where the girl's sources? She spent time with the mudblood whom no one liked and who knew little to nothing about Riddle and his "friends". She didn't seem to really talk to anyone else except Black.

Black.

He would have to question Black. It most likely was not him but he might know where she _did_ get her information. She revealed more and more about Tom that he thought only he knew. He could not have others knowing all of these things.

Cygnus Black chose that moment to stroll into the common room. Tom looked up. "Black."

He walked over and stood before Tom's chair. "Yes?"

"Tell me everything you know about Griffith. I also want to know what you know about where she gets her information. She knew too much before and it is getting worse."

Black paused for a moment to gather his thoughts and then he spoke. "She does not tell me that much. Nothing that she thinks I could report but over time I noticed some things. If we are talking about her family background she gets tense. I think she lies to me about her family."

Tom smirked. "She's muggle-born."

Black looked impassive. "Oh." He paused again. "She also does not seem to like talking about the school that she came from. I asked her about it to loosen her up. She tensed again and a lot of the things that she said sounded forced. I think one of two things happened."

At this point, had it been someone else talking, Tom would have cut them off. However, this was Cygnus Black. He was intelligent and Tom liked to hear what he thought (not that he would ever admit it to anyone).

Black continued. "I think that something must have happened there that sent her here for safety so she does not like to talk about it. It's either that or she simply did not go to the Salem Academy."

Tom blinked. These were both theories he would have to look into. He had not thought of either of these possibilities.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione had gotten into the castle after talking to Maddy and taken off running. That was when she ran into someone.

'_Someone very tall,_' she thought as she looked up and up and up some more. Eventually she found a pair of familiar eyes at the top. Big brown eyes peered down at her as she looked up at him.

"Hagrid?" she asked, somewhat uncertain. He looked so different when he was younger. There was no facial hair to be seen and his face was without all of the lines that he had had in her time.

"'Ave we me?" he boomed, sounding somewhat confused.

She smiled. "Not yet. I've just heard a lot about you."

His face fell. "Nothin' good, I imagine."

He looked so sad but Hermione knew what was wrong and said simply, "I don't think you did it."

He looked at her again and said, "Ah, well. The past's best left 'ere, me dad al'ays said."

She smiled at him. "Yes, I suppose," she said, thinking of why she was there in the first place. She was there to remake the past.

The two of them smiled at each other and then he asked, "Would ya like to come over for a spot o' tea later? I made cakes!"

Hermione cringed, remembering his baking skills in her time… and that was _with_ fifty-four years of practice. Oh well. She would just drink the tea. "I would love that," she said with a smile.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

As Hermione was on her way out to Hagrid's cabin for that tea she saw a dark figure waiting for her. She pasted on her _© Professor Snape Smirk_ and headed straight toward the person lurking there.

Black was surprised. Not only was Hermione headed to Hagrid's for the evening, but also, she had seen him standing there. He did not know that she had been through war and so had excellent senses.

"Hello, Mr. Black. Is there a reason that you are spying on me again?" she asked, with her smirk still in place.

"I'm not spying. I was sitting here and I saw you heading toward the gamekeeper cottage. You aren't going there, are you?" he asked, nervously eyeing the hut.

"Yes, I am. Hagrid and I are going to have tea."

Black looked horrified. "You can't do that. He killed someone, you know."

Hermione's left eyebrow rose. "You actually believe that?"

Cygnus looked confused. "Yes. He was expelled for it. They snapped his wand."

"If you want the actual culprit, talk to your darling Tom Riddle. He knows who did it. I doubt he'll tell you who did it, though."

With that she turned and walked off to Hagrid's. He stared at her for a moment before bolting after her. "If you have to go, at least let me come with you."

She looked at him. "Why are you so upset. I thought I was just a project; a mission, if you will."

He stared. "You haven't been a mission for a long time. I think Riddle nearly ordered me away from you, actually."

Hermione stared back for a moment before saying veeery quietly, "Alright, you can come. But if you hurt Hagrid Merlin himself won't be able to help you."

The two of them set off for the cabin. When they arrived at the door, Cygnus whispered, "Are you sure about this?"

Hermione nodded once and then knocked on the door. Hagrid came and opened it. He looked down at them. "I'll hafta muster up another cup," he boomed. As he turned away Cygnus had to resist the urge to flinch. Hagrid was a lot bigger than he had been two years ago. He could do them some serious harm.

Hermione followed Hagrid into the cottage and looked around. Some things never changed, it seemed. The place looked exactly like it had in her time. She looked at Cygnus standing nervously in the doorway and rolled her eyes. For a Slytherin he sure was wimpy.

She motioned him in and he walked toward her swiftly. She laughed and turned to Hagrid. "What do you do here exactly, Hagrid?"

"A little o' this an' that, as the Headmaster and Dumbledore see fit."

"Do you spend a lot of time in the forest?" she asked, cleverly leaving out the "forbidden" part of that question.

"Yeah. Dumbledore sends me out to deal with the animals that live there."

Hermione smiled. "I have heard that there are Acromantula living in there."

Hagrid suddenly looked nervous. "Only one." He looked up sharply. "An' Aragog ain't never hurt no one!"

Hermione smiled. "Of course not. Is it true that they are afraid of snakes?"

"Jus' really big ones. I hear they don' like Basilisks."

"No one would," said Hermione with a shudder, remembering her close call with one in her second year. "What do you think of the idea of a Basilisk in the school. Snakes are, after all, the sign of Slytherin. I hear that the person called themselves the 'heir of Slytherin'. What if they could speak Parseltongue?"

Hagrid looked at her for a long moment and then burst out laughing. "Where ya get yer idea I'll never know."

She smiled. "Just a thought."

**Author's Note: **Alright, we met Hagrid again. It's been far too long. That was absurdly difficult to write so I hope you like it.

Just so you all know, before I go on to the next chapter, I am going to edit a chapter. I think it was chapter three. It should not take long. I just need to change the part about the Wolfsbane, which did not exist at the time. Bad Jenn. After that I will get the next chapter out.


	7. Epic Duels

**Disclaimer: **I woke up today and was truly amazed to realize that I am not JKR. I'm not quite sure how this happened. I guess if I am not her, than I do not own Harry Potter

**Author's Note:** Never did fix that other chapter because my computer hates me. Long story. Here's the next chapter, anyways.

The name of the chapter is not mine. There is a Star Wars board game that my brother owns that I named this chapter after.

Right or Ryn has given me a pile of ideas for this chapter that I could not resist. Thanks for the ideas… feel free to keep them coming!

_Chapter 7_

_Epic Duels_

Tea with Hagrid had been interesting, Cygnus Black had to admit. Hagrid certainly did not seem like a murderer. Sure, he was big and loud, but he was also friendly and honest. It was time to follow Hermione's advice. It was time to talk to Tom.

He found Tom Riddle in the library, working on a Defense Against the Dark Arts assignment on various hexes used in dueling. He looked up when Cygnus approached. "Black"

"Riddle." He paused, wondering how to go about asking his questions. "I was outside earlier when I saw Griffith headed for the gamekeeper cabin. She was having tea with Hagrid." He ignored the darkening of Tom's features and went on. "I went with her, concerned that he would kill her after what happened. She kept talking about how his Acromantula would be afraid of a Basilisk."

He watched Tom carefully arrange his features into his typical calm mask. "Why are you telling me this?"

Black paused and then decided honesty would work best here. "She said that you would know who actually killed Myrtle. She said Hagrid didn't do it, but that you knew… but weren't you the one who got him expelled?" He held his breath, waiting for Riddle to become angry. Instead he seemed nearly confused.

"I have no idea what the mudblood was thinking. She must be making things up."

Abraxas Malfoy chose that moment to appear. "What's going on, boys?"

Riddle glared and said, "Malfoy, perhaps it would be best if you don't talk when you are in my presence."

Malfoy just grinned and looked at Black. "What we talking about?"

Black smirked. "Griffith"

Malfoy blinked. "The mudblood? Why?"

Riddle suddenly looked angry. His blue-grey eyes swirled with his rage and his hand tensed around his wand. "Abraxas Malfoy, you are the stupidest person I have ever met. You mock the mudblood when she is so obviously so much smarter than you."

Malfoy looked surprised. "Did I say something?"

Black was quiet as he watched Riddle stupefy the idiotic boy. Riddle turned to Black and said, "What the Griffith girl says about me and Hagrid is certainly not true. Why would I hand over the wrong person?"

'_Because you would benefit from it,_' Black thought. He did not give his thought voice. He simply nodded and said, "Alright."

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione Griffith was sitting in Potions the next day, idly wishing that Slughorn and Tom would run off together, never to be heard from again. She twiddled her wand between her fingers, very much like Tom was, next to her.

The two of them had had the misfortune of being paired by the professor and now they were waiting for their potion to finish simmering. When it was done, Hermione planned to add peppermint leaves. As it bubbled away, Hermione leaned one hip against the desk, still twirling her wand through her fingers. As she stood there not really thinking about anything in particular, Hermione remembered the best prank (in her opinion) the Weasley twins had ever played on their brother, Percy. She decided to essentially reenact it.

She vaguely waved her wand at Tom Riddle's prefect badge when he was occupied looking at their potion. The letters all moved around and more were added so that, instead of reading Prefect, it said Perfect Git.

Smiling at a job well done, Hermione looked at their potion. It was ready for the peppermint, it seemed. Tom was looking at the potion like it smelled of dirty gym socks. It was not the lovely yellow colour it was supposed to be. Hermione smirked, remembering when Harry had had the Prince's potions book. That is where she was recalling the information about peppermint leaves from. She smiled as she quickly chopped some.

"What are you doing?" Tom spoke for the first time that period. Hermione did not answer, but threw in the peppermint and smiled as the potion turned bright yellow. Tom looked amazed before he quickly schooled his features again.

Professor Slughorn chose that moment to approach them. "Ah. Elixir to induce euphoria." He sniffed. "With a bit of peppermint to offset excessive singing and nose tweaking. Full marks."

Tom looked blankly from the professor to the young woman beaming beside him. She practically glowed with happiness. He nearly shuddered. Had the girl no dignity?

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

It was not until several hours later that someone asked him what had happened to his badge. He looked down and promptly let loose a string of curses as he took the offending object off of his robe. He attempted to charm it back, but it simply changed so that it read Perfect Arse, rather than Perfect Git. It was only getting worse. He had a sneaking suspicion that he knew where to find the person who could fix it.

He came across her in the hall on the way to Defense Against the Dark Arts. He drew up next to her and growled, "Fix it."

Hermione laughed and once again vaguely waved her wand in his direction. He looked down to read it and it said Prefect once again. He looked at her and scowled. She smiled innocently and sat down at a desk in the DADA room.

When Professor Merrythought arrived, all of the students handed in their essays on hexes (Hermione's was nearly a foot longer than necessary) and then took their seats again. Professor Merrythought began. He ranted on for a bit while Hermione drifted off. She might have been studious but this was all old news to her.

She came out of her thoughts just in time to hear, "Today we will be dueling. You may choose your own partner." The professor looked at her and said, "Mr. Riddle. You will be working with Miss Griffith. Go easy on her at least in the beginning. I want to see how skilled she is."

Hermione smiled at the professor and then at Tom. The two of them made their way to an empty space, just like everyone else was. "You may begin."

Hermione smiled at Tom and, without a word, cast Aguamenti. A jet of water shot at Tom and got him rather wet. He responded with some well-placed anti-gravity mist. The effect was immediate. Hermione felt that she had flipped upside down. She waved her wand silently and the mist was gone.

Tom was impressed with the skill that this girl was demonstrating. She was nearly as good as he was. Then he became annoyed.

Knowing how much Tom hated his name, Hermione called, "Stop with the **tom**foolery. This is a waste of my time!"

Tom scowled. With a quick wave of his wand a jet of sparks shot at Hermione. The professor and their other classmates were horrified. She simply smiled. "Protego," she said softly.

He growled at her and cast a quick repelling spell that sent her flying backwards. Now she was angry. "Avis," she called out. Tom was promptly surrounded by a bunch of angry yellow birds.

He ground out, "finite incantatem," and then spit out, "Incarcerous." It was too late. She dodged it and called out.

"Still on with the **tom**foolery, I see. I was in a battle with Grindewald, and you think you can take me down with some pretty fireworks?"

He looked at her coldly and then simply stopped. He simply stood there and looked at her. The room was silent as Tom stared at her. She stared back with a slight smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

Her hair was frizzing out of the ponytail that she had shoved it into earlier and her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes danced and sparkled as she waited for him to make a move.

She was caught so off guard when he simply went to his desk and sat down. The others in the class began to duel again and Professor Merrythought seemed to be inclined to pretend that nothing had happened. Hermione never took her eyes off Tom as she walked toward him. He seemed equally as wary of her.

She smiled when she reached his desk and asked softly, "Why do you do this, Tom? You tolerate me and then you hate me. Merlin knows, there was so much hate in your eyes that, were we anywhere else, I think you would have crucio'd me without a second thought."

He continued to simply stare at her. She continued to smile at him. Then, surprising them both, she offered her hand to him and asked, "Truce?"

He looked at her hand for a very long time. He continued to look at it. Then, very slowly, he looked up into her eyes. Ever so slowly, as if he was convincing himself with each inch he moved that he was making the right decision, he moved his hand toward hers. They never broke eye contact as he moved and he watched her smile grow tenfold when his hand made contact with hers. They shook hands and she couldn't help but think that everything was about to change.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

"Let me get this straight. You called a truce with Tom Riddle." Cygnus stared at Hermione for a long moment before asking, "It's the apocalypse, isn't it?"

She laughed at his dramatics and claimed, "He accepted it. He shook my hand." Following Cygnus and his dramatics, she added, "We have entered in to a new era!" and then proceeded to faint rather dramatically. He laughed at her.

Cygnus Black rarely laughed. His family was full of pureblooded snobs and he was subjected to more of their type in Slytherin. And then he had met this mudblood, no, this muggle-born, and she could make him laugh.

He watched her eyes light up as she got up from her place on the floor and looked around them. They were in the Room of Requirement. He had not known about its existence and had asked about her knowledge of it, but she had been evasive as usual. There was something about this girl's evasiveness that drew him to her. She was a mystery that he wanted to solve, with the added benefit that she was the first person he had ever met that could make him laugh.

As he looked at her, she shifted into a more comfortable, sprawled position in the armchair she was sitting on. He turned to look out the window he was standing next to. Tom Riddle had agreed to a truce with a muggle-born Gryffindor. That was the weirdest event that had happened in all of Cygnus' time at Hogwarts.

Suddenly, Hermione interrupted his thoughts. "I want ice cream," she chirped happily. He watched with mild amusement as she struggled to rise from her chair.

"Where are you going?" he asked with dry amusement.

She looked at him like he was stupid for a moment before she said slowly, as if speaking to a small child, "To go get ice cream. You know? That substance made of frozen cream. Cream like from a cow."

He looked at her with a certain degree of loathing. "And where," he asked dryly, "do you propose we get ice cream?"

She laughed and said eagerly, "The kitchen," and then she shot out the door. He hurried after her. He soon found himself outside a painting of a bowl of fruit. Hermione smiled at him and then at the painting. Instead of speaking a password to it, like he had expected, she proceeded to tickle the pear, which giggled as the portrait swung open. He gaped at her.

"How," he asked calmly but determinedly, "know so much about this school? You knew about the Room of Requirement and you know how to get into the kitchen! You have only been here a couple of weeks!"

She smirked at him and was about to respond when a familiar deep voice spoke up from behind her.

"How does she know, indeed," Tom said in a quiet voice. Hermione closed her eyes for just a moment. She had just noticed that there was a slight Irish lilt to his voice. She opened her eyes but did not turn.

"Hello, To- Riddle," she said calmly. She interrupted herself upon remembering that he did not like his name.

"Mud- Griffith," he also found himself interrupting himself. Black nearly gaped at the scene. The two were going so far as to interrupt themselves in order to be civil.

Hermione smiled and said, "We just came because I want ice cream. Then we were going to go back to the Room of Requirement. Would you care to join us?"

It was like déjà vu. It was just like Defense Against the Dark Arts earlier that day. Tom looked at her for a long time. He looked her in the eye and then he turned to Cygnus. Cygnus also met his gaze squarely. He looked back to Hermione, who smiled easily and looked ready to say something. Then she just stopped.

Tom suddenly, and slowly, nodded his head. Hermione's smile widened. The three students calmly took their ice cream from a house elf and then left. Hermione showed Tom the Room of Requirement and showed him how to go in. As they walked in, Tom thought of how perfect it would be to have his meetings here. She seemed to know what he was thinking.

"Riddle, I use this room a lot. It would be a terrible place to bring your people." Tom and Cygnus stared at her and she smiled. She claimed that chair that she had been sitting in earlier, curled herself up in it, and proceeded to dig into her strawberry ice cream.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

If there was one thing that Tom Riddle could do, it was think. Tom did nothing without thinking it through first. He would rather have missed out on something that do it without thinking.

Currently that mind was puzzling out Hermione Griffith. He was, once again, completely at a loss. There was no way that she could know all of these things about him. Even if someone was telling her about him, no one knew that he was the heir of Slytherin. And why had she been so intent on finding out about Basilisks from that half-wit, Hagrid.

And why was he _still_ using her term, half-wit, to describe people?

Hermione Griffith was getting under his skin. He sat on a couch across from her chair and watched her eat her ice cream. There were so many things about this girl that he did not know. There were so many things that only she could tell him. He had a suspicion that she never would.


	8. Conversations with the Enemy

**Disclaimer: **I am still shocked and horrified at my inability to become JKR. Perhaps some Polyjuice is in order…

**Author's Note: **Hello everyone. I just thought that I would let you know that my other computer is broken. It is the one with my e-mail program on it. If you wish to get a hold of me quickly, feel free to e-mail me at twigbug at Feel free to use it.

"On with the show, this is it!" (I love Looney Tunes)

_Chapter 8_

Conversations with the Enemy 

Tom Riddle was still trying to figure out Hermione Griffith a week later when she walked up to him with Black tagging along behind. He noted that Black was quickly beginning to annoy him due to his constant presence around Hermione.

She positively beamed up at Tom. "We were just going to go the library and study for that test in Potions. Would you like to come?"

He looked down at her and smirked. His gaze then moved to Black, who was glaring at Tom. When he realized that Tom was looking, he quickly looked away.

"Sure," he said, smirking at Black. The two glared at each other as they began to move toward the library. There was something to be said, Hermione thought, for the presence of females. At least they made sense to her.

When they reached the library, the two boys each grabbed a bunch of books and headed toward a table. They each sat on opposite sides. Tom sat on the side that allowed him to see everyone coming and going through the door. Black sat facing Tom. Hermione sighed, selected a few books to review from, and went and sat next to Tom. Cygnus turned a little pink, while Tom smirked.

That was when Hermione had her brain flash: they were fighting over her! She glared at both of them and then ignored them as she pulled out her notes and flipped open the books that she had retrieved. The three of them sat in silence. None of them were truly focusing on the writing in front of them.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

"Griffith, we need to talk," Tom said, catching up to her that evening as she walked to her dorm.

She looked up at him and smiled. "About what?"

He looked at her with one eyebrow raised and watched as she paled.

"I can't. I have to study for that test."

"You studied earlier. Besides, you already know everything, remember?" he quietly taunted.

She glared at him. Whatever fear she had demonstrated before was gone. Suddenly she was in his face. "Don't mess with me, Riddle. Your little friends may cower when you look at them but I won't. I have seen things that you will never understand. You. Do. Not. Scare. Me," she finished. She was nearly growling with her anger.

He arched an eyebrow. "Are you threatening me, Miss Griffith?"

"Not yet," she muttered before looking up at him and saying in a horribly saccharine sweet voice, "Of course not."

"So about that talk," he said, deciding to carry on as if nothing had happened. It bothered him to no end that she was not afraid of him but he had known it since her arrival.

She smiled sweetly at him and said smoothly, "Alright, but I retain the right to not answer questions and to walk out at any time."

He looked at her for a long time before simply dropping back and bowing sarcastically. "After you, Milady."

She led him to the Room of Requirement and he was amazed to find that the room looked very different. There was one couch in front of a fireplace and bookshelves along the rear wall. Tom wandered over to look at the books.

Hermione sighed and plunked herself down on the couch, sending a quick "incedio" at the fireplace. A roaring fire was soon dancing before her eyes. She turned to look over the back of the sofa at Tom. "What did you want to talk about?"

Tom did not look up from the book he was looking through. "I hear that you went to visit Hagrid." She neither confirmed nor denied it. After a pause he continued. "I hear that you were asking him about his Acromantula. You were talking about a Basilisk."

She smirked at him but still said nothing. Tom looked up, noted the smirk, and looked back at his book. "Now why would the idea of a Basilisk in this school occur to you?"

She smiled and said quietly, "Tom, cut the act. Ignorance does not become you. What do you really want to know?"

He snapped the book closed and placed it on the shelf. "I want to know who you are, where you come from, and where you get your information!"

She looked at him. "I am Hermione. I am originally from England. My information? I believe that I have told you before that you would not believe me if I told you."

He glared at her and strode over to the couch she was sitting on. He towered over her. "What are you not telling me?" he asked. She could feel his magic crackling about him.

She rose and looked at him. He still towered over her by six or seven inches. She looked him in the eye and asked quietly, "How is it any of your business?"

He looked at her for a long time before asking in a very low and dangerous voice, "What have you got to hide?" Hermione looked at him. His voice, the way he was standing, all reminded her of Voldemort.

"I'm not talking to Tom Riddle anymore, am I?"

He paused and looked at her as if she were crazy. "What do you mean?"

"The way that you were talking and moving. You let your inner Voldemort get the better of you."

He finally lost all manner of control. "How do you know about that?" he roared. Tom Riddle never lost control.

Hermione looked so unafraid. She had faced him before, when he was Voldemort, and so this did not frighten her at all, in comparison. "Do I really need to say it?" she asked casually, as she strolled over to the bookcase.

He intercepted her en route, grabbed her wrists, and pinned her, backwards, to the bookcase. "You would do well," he growled in her ear, "not to mess with me."

"I already have," she whispered.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Abraxas Malfoy was wandering the castle, looking for someone to bother. He was in luck. Cygnus Black also seemed to be wandering aimlessly.

"Black! Long time no see. Every time I do see you, you're with the mudblood."

Black growled at him. "Have you seen her?"

"No," Malfoy said with a smirk.

"Have you seen Riddle?"

"No again."

Black looked very angry and very frightened all at once. It confused Malfoy. Nothing ever scared Cygnus Black.

He took of at a run and Abraxas followed, wanting to know what was going on.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione smiled at Tom, still not intimidated. "What happened to our truce that we made just last week?"

He just pinned her even closer to the bookshelf. She looked up at him and whispered, "What did I tell you earlier, Tom? You don't scare me."

"Why not?" he purred in her ear.

She smiled up at him and said softly, "You're not Voldemort, the dark lord, yet. No one except some of you 'friends' even knows about those plans."

"Except you," he said in a tightly controlled voice. She was about to agree when the door flew open. Tom stepped back, but only marginally, and let go of her wrists. She really must not have been afraid, he realised, because she did not even attempt to look away.

In stormed Black with Malfoy on his heels. "What are you doing to her?" Black demanded.

Tom raised that eyebrow again, Hermione noted with a smirk, before she broke in. "He's not doing anything, Cygnus. We were just talking."

She smiled up at Tom. "Anytime, dear," she said in that overly cheerful voice she used just to get on people's nerves.

He turned the raised eyebrow at her. "Dear?"

Her smile grew monumentally as she said, "Well, you don't like being called Tom, and I feel like we still hate each other when I call you Riddle. How about Marvin?"

"Marvin?" Malfoy repeated blankly.

"Yes," she responded. "Marvin. I highly doubt that you would like to be called Marvolo… and I refuse to call you Voldemort. Thus, Marvin, short for Marvolo."

Tom, yet again, wondered how she knew these things. Only the people at the orphanage and the Professors knew his middle name.

Malfoy snorted. "Your middle name is Marvolo?" he asked incredulously.

Tom stared in silent rage at the girl before him, who smiled and skipped over to Black. She took him around the wrist and, with a last call of' "Night, Marvin", she left.

Malfoy looked at Riddle and said, "You realise that she is forever making you look stupid."

"Maybe," Tom said cruelly. "But never as stupid as you." He then turned and left.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

"What were you doing with him?" Black demanded.

"I told you," Hermione said with a smile at the passing Professor Slughorn. "We were just talking."

"With him less that six inches away from you?"

"Black," she snarled, suddenly turning on him, "If you're jealous, go find someone else to complain to." She turned and stormed down the hall.

He gaped at her for a moment. Then he gave chase. "Is there something to be jealous of?"

"You seem to think so," she snapped.

"You're acting like him."

She froze. Then she very slowly turned toward him. "Like who?"

"Tom."

"You called?" asked a deep, familiar voice with a slight Irish accent.

Hermione smiled and said, "Hello, Tom. Mr. Black, here, was just telling me that I act like you. He also thinks that we were all over each other before."

Tom was surprised to notice that Hermione had called him Tom and Cygnus Mr. Black. "Does he now?" He turned to face Black. "I will deal with you later. Leave us."

Hermione watched with a smile as he did. She looked at Tom and said softly, "I never thought I would be grateful for your ability to scare people off."

"Except you," he replied, still looking after Black, seemingly preoccupied.

"Well, yes."

He looked down at her and nearly smiled at the relieved expression on her face. "You're that happy that I got rid of him? You could have. He likes you, you know."

She rolled her eyes. "But I don't like him."

Tom was quiet as he looked again in the direction that Black had gone. There was something within him that he did not understand. There was a strange fluttery feeling in his stomach. He wondered what it was.

Hermione looked at Tom. "Are you alright? You look a little bit confused and woozy."

He looked down at her. She suddenly smiled. "What?" he questioned.

"I used to be friends with two boys who were much taller than me. Standing next to you makes me thing of them."

He wondered whom the two boys were who could bring such a happy smile to her face.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione was very happy as she stood there in the hallway next to Tom. They had a "conversation" in which he got very angry and then he had come to her rescue. He reminded her of Harry and Ron, and not only because of his height. The fighting but still thinking it was their job to come to her rescue.

She looked up at him and smiled. He looked down at her. Although his impassive mask stayed intact, confusion swirled in his blue-grey eyes.

She linked her arm through his, said, "Let's go study for that Potions test," and dragged him off to the library.

Today was the best day that she had had since her arrival. She was happy and she felt protective. She looked up at the young man beside her and thought that maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she had thought.


	9. Failure

**Disclaimer: **The polyjuice plan failed as I do not have JKR's hair. I suppose I must admit that she owns all of the glorious goings on in the Harry Potter universe. I just own the plot.

**Author's Note: **I apologize for the long delay. I hit some hard times with the computers here. One stopped working and the Word on this one seems broken. Forgive me for the stupidity of my computers. On the up side, I figured out how to get from point A to point B in this story. HURRAH!

I would, just before I begin, like to apologize in advance for any and all spelling errors. This typing program is not the best I have ever used but it works well enough given my circumastances. Stupid computers.

_Chapter 9_

_Failure_

Several weeks had passed and Hermione was getting antsy. She had not talked to Tom because he was, quite frankly, avoiding her. She was beginning to get annoyed. Why in the name of Merlin would he be avoiding her?

She stumbled across him almost by accident that very evening. She was looking for Black in order to work on their Potions assignment. She found him talking with Tom. They both looked very angry. She crept closer.

"No, I will not leave her alone," Black snarled.

Tom lifted that infernal left eyebrow again. "Indeed?"

Hermione had a sinking feeling in her stomache. She was willing to bet that she knew who they were talking about. She decided that it was time to make an appearance.

"Hello, boys," she said in an alarmingly happy voice. Black shot one last glare at Tom before walking over to Hermione. "I was just looking for you. Meet me in the library in fifteen?"

He nodded, looked warningly over at Tom, and then left. Hermione looked at Tom. "I need your help."

Tom Riddle was shocked. He felt both eyebrows raise as he wondered what she could possibly want from him. "What?" he asked warily.

"In DADA, as you know, we have to write about an evil creature and how to get rid of it. I need your parsel tongue," she said so calmly, she might have been discussing the weather.

"What creature are you studying, exactly?" he found himself wondering aloud.

"Basilisks."

His mind reeled. He should have known that she would pick something that may get him into trouble. He stepped toward her, manacingly. She did not even blink. He pulled his wand. She simply removed hers from her sleeve and pointed it back at him. He stepped toward her again.

"Are you going to help me or not?" she asked, in that oh so casual voice.

"No."

"Are you going to tell me why not?" she asked smoothly.

"Don't you already know?" he mocked.

"Yes, I do. That's why I wanted to borrow you. I need you to get into the Chamber."

He blinked. She, once again, knew about him. Suddenly he had a thought. "You're a mudblood. It will kill you."

"Only if I look it in the eye and only if you tell it to. I shouldn't trust you after what happened to Myrtle, and I have already met up with a Basilisk, but I want to see one again."

Tom gaped. He actually felt him jaw drop and his mouth fall open. She had met a Basilisk and survived? Was she really a mudblood?

She, meanwhile, giggled and used two fingers to shut him mouth. Then she said, still giggling, "Let me know what you decide," and skipped off toward the library, her shoulder bag bouncing along beside her.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom paced back and forth before the fire in the Slytherin common room. While he had previously tried to work out who she was, he now wondered where she was from. She said that she was from England and he had found out that she was a mudblood. Griffith was not a name that he had ever heard in all of years living among muggles. Odd.

He paused. What if she was not a mudblood? He thought he knew that but she might be toying with him again. He thought hard. Malfoy and Black believed that she was a mudblood, and they knew all of the pureblood names. She could not be one of them. What if she was a half-blood, like him?

But, on the other hand, she might not be from England at all. She had only ever mentioned it once and that was in answer to a direct and unavoidable question. What if she was from Scotland or somewhere else in Europe?

He groaned. He hated not knowing things. There was so much that he did not know about her, and what he thought he knew may be completely incorrect. He slumped down into an armchair. Usually he tried to avoid doing anything that was not grateful but he granted himself the pleasure of slumping.

Black walked in and stormed past. He was headed for the dorm when Tom called out, "Come here."

Cygnus Black was in a pickle. He did not like Tom Riddle. In fact, he hated him. On the other hand, Riddle was still an awfully powerful wizard with no qualms about hurting people. In fact, if Hermione was right, Riddle had killed Myrtle with whatever monster lived in the Chamber of Secrets. Of course, that was simply speculation that fed his hate-filled mind. He finally turned and walked toward Riddle. "What?"

Tom looked up at the harsh tone the boy used. Mother of Merlin! Black had HIS left eyebrow raised!

"You sound entirely too impertinent for your own good. Do I need to do to you what I did not Knott?" Tom asked harshly.

Black flinched and backed off.

Two years ago, Tom had been trying to get his "friends" to corner a girl and get some information out of her. She had been knowledgable about a disappearing professor. Knott had been responsible for this group. He had failed spectacularly at getting the information. She had also been so horrified by the memories that would not go away. She had jumped off of the Astronomy Tower.

That was when Tom had become angry. Not only had Knott failed to get the information, but he had caused the source of said information to kill herself.

Suffice it to say, Tom Riddle was particularly gifted with the torture curse.

Snapping out of his fond memories, Tom looked at the nearly snivelling Black and gave a cold, heartless laugh. "I want to know what you know. If you must be around her, you need to make yourself useful... or suffer my wrath."

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione smiled as she looked out of her common room window. It was incredibly windy out. She wanted to be out in it. She thought for a moment, watching the wind tear into the trees, before rising and heading out the door.

She arrived outside and was nearly blown away. She braced herself against the biting wind and moved toward the lake. The waves were crashing against the shore as she walked toward them. She had come out with no shoes on and she was wearing a knee-length skirt that fluttered in the wind. She took a tentative step into the lake. The waves smashed against her legs and her hair blew out behind her.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom was wandering through the school, looking for someone or something to entertain him. He glanced out the window as he passed the front door and froze. There was a person out there in the wind. A girl. A very familiar girl. He paused for a moment, simply watching her hair blow in the wind and the waves bow at her feet.

He made his decision and headed out the door. He, too, was nearly blown away before he leaned into the wind and headed for the lake. He stood at the shore and called her name over the crashing of the waves. She turned to look at him. He motioned her in toward land. She smiled, turned to look out over the water again, and then walked toward him. She seemed almost surreal.

Tom may have been a man prone to the foolishness of love, but he was not above desire. In fact, desire for things he could have, things he could control and manipulate, was what drove him. He looked at Hermione and, for the first time, saw beyond her all-knowing obnoxious self, past then bushy hair, and through the facade that she put on. He suddenly saw a beautiful girl- no, young woman. He saw Hermione as no one had seen her before.

He must have been looking at her strangely, because she looked up at him with some confusion. He smirked down at her, thinking that this was one thing he would deny himself. There was no way he could claim this woman as his own. She would be his downfall. If anything, he suddenly realised, he should kill her for intruding in his plans and being such a mamoth risk to them. She knew too much.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione looked at Tom for a moment. There were different emotions swirling through his eyes. All of them passed before she could identify them. She turned away and faced the lake she had just vacated. The waves still crashed and the wind still rattled the trees. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back. The thought briefly crossed her mind that she should probably not turn her back on the heir of Slytherin. Then another thought occured to her.

"Did you ever decide?" she called over the wind, her eyes still closed.

Tom paused. He had forgotten her strange and all-knowing request. It had been lost into the haze of other things that she knew but shouldn't. "No."

She turned to look at him again. He turned to the lake. "No, you won't do it, or no, you have not decided?"

"I won't do it."

"Why not? I already know about it. Why not show it to me?"

He looked at her again. There was a long pause in which Hermione felt that she was being measured. She hoped he changed his mind.

"Come with me."

It never occurred to Hermione that following a future Dark Lord to Merlin knew where may be a bad plan. Instead, she simply wondered where he was taking her.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

The Chamber of Secrets was exactly as Harry had described it to her and Ron. It looked old, it was dark, there were giant statues of snakes lining the walls on each side of her, and there was a giant statue of a head at the far end. She knew that the mouth would open to reveal the giant serpent that would nearly kill her in the future. It had already killed Myrtle.

Hermione looked at Tom, who looked like he was deep in thought. That was when the enormity of her situation hit her. She was in a room no one knew about, with a boy who would go on to kill her parents, and a snake that only he could control that would love to kill her because she was muggle-born. '_This is bad!!_' she thought unhappily.

Tom looked down at her from his lofty height and smirked. "Scared yet?"

She smiled up at him with a bravery she didn't know she had. "Of your pet snake? Yes. Of you? No."

"I control the Basilisk," he said, sounding a shade confused. The darned impentrable mask was still there, but the voice was coloured differently.

"I know," she replied vaguely. She looked at the mouth of the statue and then back at Tom. "Are you going to summon it?"

Tom did not reply, but instead moved toward the statue. She followed him. She may have wanted to see the Basilisk, but she had no desire to die.

Tom began to hiss at the statue. Under other circumstances she might have laughed at the mighty and composed Slytherin hissing at a statue. Too bad these circumstances dictated that she be silent and draw as little attention to herself as possible.

The mouth of the statue opening was heralded by the sound of stone sliding against stone. She looked at Tom's shoes. There was a minute scuff on the left toe. Then she felt a presence. She determindly continued to look down.

Tom took this opportunity. He looked at the Basilisk and hissed, "_Is she a mudblood?_"

The Basilisk stared at Hermione, who was wisely still looking at his shoes. "_She is. Kill the mudbloods!_" it hissed.

"_You will not touch her and you will not look at her. You will look at the far door and you will continue to do so until I tell you otherwise,_" he ordered sharply. It complied, but it was not happy. "You can look up now," he said softly, when it was safe and the Basilisk had done as it was told.

Hermione looked up in awe. Before her was forty-five feet of brillian green serpent. The king of the serpents had bright yellow eyes, she knew, for she had seen them in a mirror in her second year. There was scarlet on its head, which confused her.

"Tom? Why is there red on its head?"

Tom continued to look at the snake, not trusting it to continue to do as it was told. "The males have a scarlet plume. The females are completely green." Then he muttered, "I should have brought a rooster."

"A what?" Hermione asked curiously.

"A rooster. The crowing is fatal to Basilisks."

Hermione looked at the serpent one last time and then said, "I'm done here if you want to send him back. I know I'll feel safer."

He smirked. He still had not taken his eyes off of the Basilisk. He hissed some more and the giant snake began to turn towards them. She quickly looked down as his shoes again. Soon the Basilisk was again securely held within the statue of Slytherin.

"Why did you let me live?" she asked the moment that she heard the stone mouth close.

He looked at her in amusement. She met his gaze and waited for the scathing response. "Would you rather I call it back and let you die?"

"No," she quickly responded. "I just thought that by now you would want to kill me."

He decided to be honest. "The thought had occured to me."

She smiled at him, not looking all that upset considering someone had just told her that they had moments when the considered actually killing her. "Why haven't you?"

"I'm not sure. I think that I like you too much. You do have great potential."

It was Hermione's turn to lift her left eyebrow. "Potential?" she repeated.

Tom smirked. "You seem to have excellent sources and _some _of my followers hold you in great esteem."

She laughed. "You mean Black is convinced that he is madly in love with me. Yes, I know."

He looked at her for a moment. He had a brilliant brain flash. "You know all about me because you're curious. We are so alike, you and I. We both know more than many consider good for us. I am even willing to bet that you have Dumbledore giving you information."

He watched in near amazement as she paled.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione was panicking. How did he come up with that? He still had not deduced that he was from the future, but he was still too close for comfort. He believed that Dumbledore was one of her sources. He was. It was simply a matter of time.

Time. Dates. Days. Tempo. Generations. Eras.

What was time, really? It could go slowly or quickly. It could be short or long. But could it be changed? She had already changed it. At the same time, he was still going to become Voldemort. The only difference her coming had made was that Riddle thought that she would make a good follower now that he was over his annoyance.

Seconds. Minutes. Hours. Days, weeks, months, and years.

It was time immemorial before she looked up at him again. He looked shocked and somewhat mystified all at the same time. She said blankly, "Can we go now?"

Tom looked down at Hermione. She looked like a ticking time bomb. She was tense, pale, and she looked horribly frightened. He found himself wondering why his guess had frightened her so. He may have been right, he thought, but that did not seem to him a reason for a rather fearless girl to panic. He nodded and headed for the nearest exit.

When they were out of the chamber, Hermione took off at a run. She headed for her dorm. She paused for a moment. What to do?

Dumbledore.

He knew how to send her back to the future. Back to her own time. Back to where she understood things. So, she had failed. Dumbledore had given her the impression that he had a backup plan anyways. They would have to go with that. She turned and ran from the room. She needed to get to the Transfiguration office stat!

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Dumbledore had finished classes that day with the destinct feeling that something was going to go wrong. He could think of no reason for the feeling and he was uncertain what he was supposed to do about it. He had, following his last class, headed for his office to mark the essays that his second year Slytherin/Gryffindor class had given him. He settled into his comfortable red chair and _accio_'d his nearest quill and ink.

Just as he settled in, there was a frantic knocking at his door. He rose to let whoever it was in, hoping that this was not the disaster that he had felt coming. He opened the door to see one Hermione Griffith.

"Hello, Miss Griffith. Lemon drop?" he asked, offering her one of his favourite treats. She declined but he popped one in his mouth. He motioned for her to sit in his comfortable red chair and he sat on the couch. "Now tell me, what seems to be the matter?"

Hermione groaned. "I need to go back to my time, Sir."

Dumbledore's eyebrows rose. He studied her for a moment. "Miss Griffith, as I do not know the purpose of your trip to our time, nor do I wish to, I must ask, did you succeed or not?"

"No, Sir." She looked at the floor. "I can't do this."

He looked at her for a moment. "I will send you to your own time, then. I take it you will need to gather your things?"

She nodded and rose. "When shall I come back, Sir?" she asked.

"Immediately."

Hermione turned and fled the room. She worked very hard to avoid running into Tom or any of his followers.

"Hermione."

She turned to see Cygnus Black, looking at her with confusion swirling in his brown eyes. "Cygnus."

"Where are you going?" he asked, meaning to escort her to wherever it was that she was headed within the castle.

"Home," she said, pursing her lips, hoping that he would have the sence not to...

"Hermione, you can't leave! What will I do without you. I love you. You're the only one that understands me!"

No such luck.

"You do not love me. You think you do, but you do not. I do not love you." She looked him in the eye and said simply, "Go back to Tom. He likes you. I think you may even be his favourite little spy." She turned and left. It didn't matter who saw her now.

She made it to her dorm without incident. She gathered her things and headed for the Transfiguartion office. Her terrible luck held. Tom RIddle was wandering the hallways, killing time.

"Griffith."

"Tom."

He studied her for a moment. She looked even more tense and afraid than she had in the Chamber of Secrets. He wondered at that. What in the name of Merlin had he said?

"Where are you headed?" he asked curiously.

"Home."

That darned eyebrow went up again. "Home? It's only November."

"Family emergency," she said blankly.

He found himself wondering what he could do to help. "Is there anything I can do?"

She shook her head. "Good-bye, Tom Riddle."

"Good-bye." He watched as she turned and headed down the hallway. It occured to him that she was not headed toward the main doors but then he realized that they might give her a portkey. She could not floo because her parents were muggles.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

The truth was, Hermione was going to floo. She was going back to her own time. She would see Ron, Harry, and Ginny again. She was getting excited about this.

Fate hated her, she thought in annoyance. There was Maddy Rotherst sitting in the chair across from Dumbledore's desk. She looked up at Hermione sadly. Hermione scowled back. Wimp.

When Maddy finally left, Dumbledore looked up at her. The twinkle in his eyes was long gone. Hermione was too distracted to notice. She just wanted to go home.

Dumbledore studied her for a long moment before rising. "Are you ready Miss Griffith?"

"Yes," she nearly squealed. She was terribly excited.

"Alright." He pulled his wand out of his sleeve and pointed it loosely at her. "_Vanno in avanti cinquanta quattro anni_."

There was a terrible feeling of being tugged by the stomach. It was like apparating but so much worse. Dumbledore's Transfiguration office swirled out of her vision and she was surrounded by a bland grey colour. There was an annoying humming sound.

Suddenly all of that ended and she found herself sitting on the floor in the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore, looking several years older, peered at her over his half moon glasses. "I assume that it did not work."

"You know that it did not work," she reponded weakly. She was rather tired and sore after her journey. "I told you that myself."

He looked at her for a long time. This time she noted the lack of twinkle in his eyes. "What's wrong, Sir?"

He snapped out of it but he looked at her sternly. "You will stay here for tonight but tomorrow you go back. We are down to crunch time, Miss Granger."


	10. Reverse Fairy Tale

**Disclaimer:** The fact that I have to post one saddens me, but here it is: I don't own it. Now you've gone and made me sad!

**Author's Note: **If you guys have any brilliant ideas floating about that you want in here, let me know. I have some vague ideas but I need to fill in the holes. So review and share your "plot wolverines" (don't ask).

My computer and Word are working again. Hurrah!!

Chapter 10 

_Reverse Fairy Tale_

Hermione looked around her and smiled. She was in her room in the Gryffindor tower (the one she had been in before she travelled through time) and it looked exactly the same. It may have only been for one night, but it was good to be Hermione Granger again.

As she was poking through her trunk aimlessly, there was a squeal behind her. She turned to see one Ginny Weasley gaping at her happily. "You're back," she said eagerly.

"I'm aware of that, thanks," Hermione laughed.

Ginny looked at her oddly for a moment before continuing. "The boys are downstairs in the common room. We really missed you!" She kept up a continuous stream of chatter as they walked down the stairs.

Harry and Ron moved toward her quickly and hugged her hard. Standing near them made her think of Tom and the time that standing next to him made her think of these two boys.

Harry was studying Hermione quietly. Finally he leaned over and whispered, "In the spirit of Moody, I have to ask: you are keeping an eye on the slippery bugger, right?"

Hermione looked at him, smirked, and said, "Harry, I'm trying to stop him from becoming a dark lord, not trying to spy on him and then kill him."

"I think that would have been smarter," Harry muttered, wondering at this new smirk that Hermione had. She had never smirked before. Weird.

He continued to watch Hermione throughout the evening. She was more sarcastic and snarky than she had been before. It was not a huge difference, but Harry was becoming concerned. She was starting to act like Tom Riddle.

Finally, and predictably, Ron suggested that they go down to the kitchen and get some food. As per usual, he seemed to be convinced that he was starving to death. Everyone agreed to go to the kitchens.

En route, they ran into their least favourite person: Malfoy. Draco Malfoy, that is. He looked like he was about to make a rude comment when Hermione randomly burst out laughing. After meeting Abraxas Malfoy, it was impossible to take Draco seriously.

"What are you laughing at?" Draco spat.

Hermione smiled and asked calmly, "Have you ever had the dubious pleasure of meeting your grandfather?"

"Which one?" he asked, warily.

"Dear Abraxas," she responded with a barely stifled giggle.

"No. Why?"

"He was the _biggest_ idiot until he did the world a favour and died."

"What do you know, Mudblood?" he snarled.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she taunted.

"You're nothing but a stupid mudblood. I bet that even your parents never loved you until the Dark Lord did us a favour and removed their muggle filth from the Earth," he taunted.

Suddenly the air began to crackle with magic. The hallway darkened and Hermione stepped toward Malfoy with a sneer on her face. "Come up with that on your own, you inbred ferret?" she snarled.

Ron, Ginny, and Harry were all gaping. This was not the Hermione they knew. And what was all the magic crackling in the air. Ron and Ginny wondered where she had learned it. Harry had a sinking feeling that he already knew.

Draco was gaping. The magic in the air was making the hair on the back of his neck stand up and his skin was crawling. There was a strange new light in Granger's eyes and he was fairly certain that it did not bode well for him.

"Get lost, Malfoy," she said with a sudden and frightening calm. He was smart enough to make his exit. Hermione took one deep breath and then turned to look at her friends with and shockingly happy look on her face. "Shall we go, then?"

Ron grinned while Ginny cackled gleefully. "That was awesome, Mione. I have never seen that ferret look so scared."

She smiled absently as they walked. She was wondering if that was something that she had picked up from Tom. Her magic had never been so powerful before. This was new and it was scary.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

The next morning arrived entirely too soon for Hermione's tastes. She got up, showered, pulled a brush rather forcefully through her frizzy hair, neatly placed all of her belongings in her trunk, and headed for Dumbledore's office. She caught herself walking toward the Transfiguration office and laughed. She turned and headed for the Headmaster's office.

It was strange seeing Dumbledore behind the desk, rather than Dippet. She sighed. She was going to have to talk to Tom again. And Black. And, she shuddered, Malfoy.

Dumbledore studied her for a moment before dropping his figurative bomb. "You will feel pain this time. Last time, your travels would have been like apparating. This time will be painful. Go to the hospital wing. When you are released, go to this address. You're a smart girl. You'll figure it out from there."

Hermione took the paper that he had given her. He had given her the address to an orphanage. She was puzzled for a moment and then she remembered the papers that she had been given, proving that she was Hermione Riddle, one year older than Tom. She paused for a moment. "When am I going back to?"

"The day after Tom graduates." She nodded and plotted while Dumbledore continued to study her. "You will need a backup story. You could simply say that your parents died in a muggle accident. You should also know," he continued, "that if you try to come back again, it may very well kill you. Your body can only handle so much time travel at such great leaps. Fifty four years is a long time to travel through."

Hermione gaped at him. "So if I go back I'm stuck there? I can never come back?"

Dumbledore looked old and worn as he looked at her. "It depends on how much this trip takes out of you. You may be able to come back, but I imagine that you would never be whole magically, or in the way of health."

She stared. "This is the only way that we can win this war?" she asked anxiously.

"I believe so, Miss Granger," he stated tiredly.

She thought about it for a moment. This would possibly be a lifetime commitment that she was making. On the other hand, if she did not go, she was not guaranteed her life or the lives of her friends anyways.

After a few more moments, she said, "I'll go. I shouldn't have come back anyways. It's my own fault."

Dumbledore nodded and said, "I imagine that you are ready to go, Miss Granger?"

She nodded and swallowed nervously. What if she never got to see Harry, Ron, and Ginny again? Dumbledore pulled out his wand and held it loosely in his hand as he sent her back.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione woke up in the Hospital Wing. There was a giant pain in her left side, her head was throbbing, and there was a sickening taste in her mouth that tasted suspiciously like the aftertaste of potions. She tried to turn her head to see if anyone was there but it hurt too much. She could not really speak either. So she just lay there until she fell back to sleep.

When she woke up again, the first thing she noticed was that she could move her head and she could talk. She discovered this when she turned her head and saw Tom Riddle sitting next to her bed.

"What are you doing here?" she blurted out. She immediately flushed from the hypocrisy. He had been at the school this whole time. She had been gone for more than a year and a half but she had the audacity to ask what he was doing there.

The left eyebrow rose again. "I could ask you that, but judging by the fascinating shade of purple you are turning, I think you have already noticed that."

He was joking with her. Tom Riddle had cracked a joke to a muggle-born witch. Oh my.

Hermione waited until her face had cooled down before she asked, "So what have you been up to for the last year and a half?"

He smirked at her. "Oh, a little of this and that. I just convinced Black to get over you. That took entirely too long. Malfoy thought Christmas came early when you left."

"And you?" She found herself wondering why she had asked that. Did she really want to know?

"Meetings and the like. I made Head Boy."

She smirked. "I know." Then she had a thought. "Tom, when the air around you literally crackles with magic, why does it do it?"

Both of his eyebrows rose. "Why? Did you do it?"

"Yes." She refused to fill the long silence that ensued with an explanation. It would have been too awkward.

Finally he spoke up. "It happens because I am angry. Very angry."

She laughed. "That makes sense." Once again, there was a silence while he waited for her to elaborate. Once again, she ignored it.

Finally he rose. "I should go finish packing."

"You go back to the orphanage tomorrow," she said bluntly.

He did not recall telling her that, but many people knew it. She could have heard that he was an orphan anywhere. "Yes."

"I imagine," she said with a mysterious smile, "that you will see me sooner than you think. Have a good summer, Tom."

He looked slightly confused, but after all of his other experiences with her, he knew to let it go. She would just twist it to make him look like an idiot. He nodded to her and then left.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

A week of boredom later, Hermione was released. There was still some pain in her side that she had to deal with but she would be fine. It had been a lot of work to convince Madame White of that fact. The bustling witch was just like Madame Pomfrey.

As she strolled out of the hospital wing, she pondered the address for the orphanage that Dumbledore had given her. She decided that she would get Tom out of there and they could get a flat somewhere and work. She would draw the line at Knockturn Alley. He could work anywhere but there. She did not want history to repeat itself. After all, he would not, under normal circumstances, be released from the orphanage for almost a year. She was going to alter those circumstances so that he owed her.

With that cheery thought in mind, she set of for front gate so that she could apparate. The familiar tug around her stomach suddenly ending was her cue that she had arrived. She was in a dark alley, as she always seemed to end up in when she apparated anywhere where there was muggles.

She carefully made sure that she was not being watched and then ran her wand over herself to make sure that she looked presentable and as if she really was Tom's sister. She darkened her hair slightly, and made sure that she radiated power and control like he did. There.

She calmly strolled around the corner, her trunk in her pocket and the papers in her hand. It was time to rescue Tom.

She found the building, took a deep breath, and walked through the front door.

"Can I help you, Miss?" asked a girl about Hermione's age.

"Yes. I am looking for Tom Riddle," she said smoothly.

The girl looked shocked. No one ever asked for Riddle's company. "He's right upstairs, first door on the left."

Hermione nodded her thanks and headed up the stairs. Suddenly she stopped. She had, for the first time, just wondered what Tom would think of all this. She decided that she might as well find out. The moved forward until she found the door she has been directed to. She almost chuckled at the predictability of it being shut tight.

She knocked.

And again.

"Get lost," growled a voice from within.

"You know, I don't think I will," she said smoothly.

The door was jerked open by Tom Riddle. In the flesh. Wearing the ugliest sweater in the ugliest non-shade of grey. Looking very angry.

"Hello, Tom."

He looked at her in open astonishment for a moment before he managed to compose himself. "Why are you here?"

"Is there somewhere we can talk?" she counter questioned easily. He nodded and led her to a courtyard of sorts.

"So talk."

"I have come to rescue you. We're getting you out of here."

"You can't," he said bitterly. "You have to have papers saying that you are old enough and related to me to get me out of here."

"Which is why you are not-" she paused dramatically. "Looking at Hermione Griffith. You are looking at the nineteen year old Hermione Riddle; the older sister you never knew you had."

He looked at her in mild amusement. "And you can prove that, can you?"

She gave him his own smirk and held out the papers.

He openly gaped. "Do you know what these are?"

"You're ticket out of here and my ticket to having someone to live with," she said, taking them back.

"What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously.

"You need out of here. I need somewhere to live. I have money for a flat. We could just get a flat together and each get jobs. I would, however, forget this whole thing and kick you out if you get a job on Knockturn Alley."

He paused. She had really thought this one out. He had someplace to live that did not require him to wear this stupid sweater. He would be living with one other person, as opposed to sixteen. He was liking this idea.

"Oh, and if I hear anything about you being associated with Death Eaters, I reserve the right to use your own very favourite curse on you."

He arched his left eyebrow again. "You couldn't use a cruciatus if you tried."

"That's what you think," she said, thinking about the war, when she had cast a cruciatus. To her mingled relief and horror, she did not have the problem Harry did. It had worked. She had used an unforgivable on Bellatrix Lestrange.

He studied her for a long time before saying, "Alright. We have to go show those - he pointed at the papers in her hand – to Mrs. Cole. I hope you're a good actress."

She laughed in his face. "You just worry about your end of this."

He led her to the office, where he knocked on the door and then opened it without waiting for response from within. Inside, a rather frumpy older woman sat at the desk.

"Hello, Tom."

"Mrs. Cole," he said smoothly.

Hermione stepped forward. "Hello, Mrs. Cole. My name is Hermione Riddle. Might I have a word?" she asked, practically pushing her way into the room, past Tom. He smirked. That was what he would have done.

"Riddle, you say? Come in!" Mrs. Cole, Tom noted, seemed awfully eager to get rid of him. If he had hated the place less, he would have stayed out of spite.

Hermione pushed out a tight and obviously fake smile, sat down, and looked around disdainfully. The impression that she was going for, and succeeding at if Mrs. Cole's face was any indication, was filthy rich. She turned to Mrs. Cole and said firmly, " I want my brother out of here today."

"My dear, Tom has no siblings. I was told that when he was born by his own mother."

"Did you ever stop to think," Hermione snapped, "that perhaps he was the result of a second marriage? Father did not love his mother but he was lonely after my own mother died."

Mrs. Cole looked shocked. Then she asked suspiciously, "Where have you been all these years?"

"Living with my father and his parents," Hermione ground out. "You know. The big manor house in Little Hangleton?"

Tom noted two things: Hermione Griffith knew more about him than he knew about himself if even half of this story were true and that she was a phenomenal actress. He smirked as he looked between her and Mrs. Cole.

Hermione was glad that Mrs. Cole did not know that these particular relations were dead and had been for a few years. Tom had killed them himself and framed his mother's brother for it.

Mrs. Cole smirked triumphantly and said, "I will need all of the paperwork."

Hermione smirked back. "You mean this nonsense?" she asked, handing the woman the papers that Dumbledore had given her. Mrs. Cole looked shocked. It was clear that she had not believed the girl until now. She looked at the papers. They looked legit.

Hermione was still smirking when the woman looked up and said, "I apologize, Miss Riddle. Tom, go and pack your things."

Hermione looked around her disdainfully again and rose. "I think I will go with you, Tom." She turned, nodded to Mrs. Cole, and followed Tom out. The two of them smirked all the way up the stairs. At the top, they ran into a little girl.

"Are you here to adopt one of us?" she asked sweetly.

Hermione smiled gently. "No, sweetheart. I'm here to take Tom away."

The little girl looked at the big boy that had threatened some of the other children, always told her to be quiet, and took their toys away. He usually never gave them back. "Why did you pick him?"

"Because I like him." Hermione's smile widened.

Two pairs of eyes widened. The little girl said, "but does he like you?"

Tom was shocked. No one had ever truly liked him. Some were scared into submission, and girls seemed to think he was attractive enough although they stayed away due to his personality. But, then again, this girl had broken every rule he set up.

Hermione crouched down so that she was level with the little girl. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Ellie," the little girl said. She did not understand why this nice woman liked that mean boy.

Hermione smiled and said, "Well, Ellie, do you have a book I could read? A fairy tale, maybe?"

Ellie's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "I have Beauty and the Beast!"

"That will do fine. How about I read it to you while Tom gets ready to go?"

Ellie took off for her room. Hermione turned to Tom. "I hope that works for you," she said dryly. If Tom hadn't been so off put by her liking him, he would have been annoyed. As it was, he simply nodded and walked into his room. She noted that he left the door open.

Ellie came tearing back with a truly battered copy of Beauty and the Beast. "I got it!"

Hermione smiled at the little girl. "Where can we go to read it?" Ellie led her to the courtyard, where she had spoken to Tom previously. The two of them sat on a bench and Hermione began to read.

Tom's bedroom window overlooked the courtyard. Through his open window, he heard the two girls laughing and reading together. He didn't know why it surprised him that she was so good with children. He supposed that it may be because she was so effective when dealing with him, and he was the opposite of an outgoing, innocent child.

When the book was finished, Ellie looked at Hermione and said, "Just like you and Tom."

Hermione was more than a little bit confused by this. "What?"

"You came here. You're all nice but you came to rescue Tom, who's not a good boy. Do you love him?"

Tom moved closer to his grimy window so that he could see the girls.

Hermione looked at Ellie for a long moment.

"As a friend, yes."

The little girl looked at the older girl for a moment with a look that distinctly reminded Hermione of Lavender Brown, matchmaker extraordinaire.

Tom stood in his room and looked around him in awe. She was his friend, whether he wanted it or not. He wondered if she considered him one of her friends.

It was beyond baffling. Friends? Love? What?

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione and Tom Riddle left the orphanage with the distinct (and accurate) feeling that Mrs. Cole was glad to see their backs. She didn't seem to particularly care for either of the teenagers.

Once they were out of the building, out of sight, and out of hearing range, Hermione burst out laughing. Even Tom's lips twitched slightly in a suspicious manner.

"We did it," she cried excitedly.

Tom nodded and asked, "Now what?"

Hermione gave him a giant smile and said, "Now we go look at flats."

Tom looked at her incredulously. "You do realise that we most likely will not find one today."

"Of course we will, Tom. Have some faith. I already have a couple that I looked at on the way here. One of them was above the Three Broomsticks. It's available."

Tom nodded and the two of them apparated away.


	11. Working and Living

**Disclaimer:** Is this truly necessary? If it is: I don't own Harry Potter. If you want to give me Tom or Blaise, You will make me incredibly happy!

**Author's Note:** So, Deathly Hallows came out at 12:01 last night. Being as I am, unfortunately, incredibly broke, I have neither purchased nor read it. Pity.

There is a quote in here apparently from Nietzsche. I don't know anything about him. The quote was given to me in a review from Right or Ryn and I had to put it in here, given it's relevance. If you are not Right or Ryn, kudos if you find it.

This is kind of a transition chapter. It is constructed of many small parts with the two of them in their flat. Their one bedroom flat. More on that later. Enjoy!

Chapter 11 

_Working and Living_

Tom and Hermione had moved into the flat over the Three Broomsticks. Hermione had been a little off put by Madam Rosemerta's absence until she remembered that the woman might not even be born yet. It had been a long day.

The next day, Hermione woke up and looked across the one bedroom in their flat. There were two single beds in the room, but it looked as though Tom had spent the night on the couch. He had seemed terribly uncomfortable with the idea of them sharing a room.

She smirked. Tom was afraid. Ha.

She got up, pulled on a bathrobe, and headed for the kitchen. The day would not be a good one if she did not have her tea. Tom was already sitting at their table, with a copy of the Daily Prophet and a cup of coffee that she imagined that he had conjured. He didn't seem like the type that would try to use the coffee maker when he could simply conjure himself a cup.

He looked up at her and nodded silently in greeting before returning to his paper. She smiled at him and then proceeded to put the kettle on, warm her teapot, and find a teabag. Then she turned and leaned on the counter as she studied him.

He looked exactly like he always did. She smiled as she saw the white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up neatly to just under his elbow. He was wearing pressed grey dress pants, and black dress shoes. As per usual, his hair was perfectly charmed into place.

He felt her studying him and looked up when he finished reading the article about the threat of giants. He found her in her position, leaning on the counter. Unlike most girls who had studied him in Hogwarts, Hermione did not look away or flush or giggle in that disgusting manner that some girls did. She merely continued to study him.

"What?" he finally asked.

The corner of her mouth twitched upward in the beginnings of a smirk, but she suppressed it. "You just look like some old man, perfectly dressed and sitting at the table, reading the paper and drinking your coffee at eight in the morning."

He looked at her long and hard and then asked, "Is there a reason you look exactly like you did when I saw you last?"

She paled slightly. The kettle began to whistle and she turned around, turned off the stove, poured the warm water out of her teapot, put the tea bag in, and poured the boiled water into the pot. She then turned to Tom. He was still looking at her curiously. Drat. He wanted an answer to this.

"I just like the way that I look and try to keep it that way." She had tried to say it calmly, but her voice rose at the end of the sentence, making it sound more like a question.

He arched that eyebrow and she smiled, distracted by the familiarity of the action. She had been away for one whole night in her time and it seemed that she had missed him.

He studied her for a moment. She was smiling at him. It wasn't really a suspicious smile, even though her comment threw him off a little bit. He decided to drop the matter for now.

Hermione turned back to her tea, grabbed herself a mug, and poured herself a cup. "Would you like some?"

"No, thank you."

"Alright," she said, turning around and coming back to the table. "Anything interesting going on?"

"Apparently giants are an imminent threat and the Minister of Magic seems to be…" He trailed off. He had been reading a headline and summarizing it for the second half of that sentence. He nearly flushed.

She noticed. Of course she did, he thought, unhappily.

"What about the Minister of Magic?"

Tom cleared his throat and said quietly but firmly and without hesitation, "He has been sleeping with his secretary."

"Oh," said Hermione, without so much as batting an eyelash. Tom found himself studying her.

"That doesn't bother you?"

"Why should it? I am not his wife or her husband. I really don't care." She changed the subject. "We should job hunt today."

He nodded, still looking at her very intently.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione came skipping back through the door that evening to find Tom sitting on their couch, once again sipping coffee and reading the paper. He had not had a chance to finish it that morning. He looked up at her and felt his lips twitch upwards in a manner that suggested that he might smile. He quickly got a hold of himself.

"I got a job," she sang loudly. He smirked at her. A smirk was nice and safe.

"So did I," he said smoothly.

She stuck her tongue out at him and he lifted his eyebrow again.

She smiled cheerfully at him and headed for the bedroom. "I work at that new apothecary. You?"

He smirked again. "Flourish and Blotts."

"Really?" Hermione called through the closed door. "That sounds like fun."

Tom gave a strangled, non-committal grunt as he tried not to think about what she was doing behind that door.

Hermione popped out quickly and laughed at the look on his face. His face was all twisted and red like it had been at breakfast that morning. She winked at him and then, while he was suffering from some degree of shock, asked what he wanted for dinner. He shrugged. His mind was completely elsewhere. She laughed at him again before heading to their kitchenette.

Tom looked at her again. He had never really noticed her before. She had been alternately annoying and interesting at Hogwarts in their sixth year. Then she had shown up a year later and he saw her completely differently. He smirked suddenly, planning to get a rise out of her.

"I invited Malfoy and Black over. I thought you might have missed them."

He watched as Hermione's face twisted itself into the expression he imagined that she might have after eating a lemon. He chuckled and her expression changed to that of a person gaping at a dog with two heads.

"What?" he asked, curios as to what had so drastically changed her expression.

"You laughed. I have never heard you laugh before," she explained quietly.

He smirked at her. "I do know how to laugh, you know. Most people do."

"Well I thought you were one of the exceptions," she teased back.

He smirked and went back to his paper.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom was pacing and the sound of him doing so on the hardwood floor right outside the bedroom door was more than a little bit annoying. Hermione growled and climbed slowly out of her nice warm bed. She had a feeling that he didn't want to sleep on the couch but he did not want to impose on her and feel awkward, either.

Forgoing her robe, she walked to the door and threw it open. Tom looked at her with an amusing look of shock for a moment. She scowled back.

"Would you stop your bloody pacing?" she snarled.

He paused his pacing and looked at her. "I'm sorry. Does it bother you?"

She looked at him suspiciously. "Why no," she said sarcastically. "After all, I was just thinking to myself on my way home from the apothecary. 'I could really go for someone pacing right outside my door. After all, who need sleep.' And lo and behold, here you are, pacing right outside my door."

He smirked and sat gracefully on the end table right beside him. She automatically hit him over the back of the head. "Get off the table, you prat."

Tom couldn't help it. He gaped. His mouth fell open and everything. He had never seen her act so violent before. Hermione giggled before she took advantage of it. She took a hold of his wrist and pulled him into the bedroom. She pointed at the bed that she had not been trying to sleep in just moments before. He nodded vaguely and headed towards it. She giggled again and then climbed into her own bed.

Who knew that living with Tom Marvolo Riddle could be so interesting?

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Waking up the next morning Tom found himself facing an unfamiliar room with a witch in it whom he recognized at once. '_Well this is awkward_,' he thought as he rolled over.

In the midst of all of their play and banter last night, before she had brought him into the bedroom, he had failed to notice that she was in rather scant pyjamas. Or at least, they were scant compared to any pyjamas he had ever seen girls wear. He heard her sigh and then she spoke.

"Get out of bed, Tom."

"Are you dressed yet?" he asked, feeling disgusted with himself for the nervous and excited flutter in his stomach.

"Yes."

He rolled over and looked at Hermione. She was in a nice beige pencil skirt with a red top on. '_How very Gryffindor_', he couldn't help but think. He pulled himself out of bed and totally missed the look on Hermione's face.

He was wearing black pyjama pants. Period. '_He_,' she thought to herself, '_should not be allowed to look like that._' Then she nearly slapped herself for practically drooling over him. She left the room to make herself tea.

Tom watched her go and wanted to smack himself. He could remember how she had known everything about him in sixth year. He would never stand a chance with her when she knew that. Then he nearly smacked himself again. Why would he want to be with her?

He groaned as he charmed his hair into place and threw on some clothes. The he headed out to the kitchen to have his coffee and paper.

Breakfast was so awkward. The two of them could not stop thinking about what had happened earlier. As they both headed out the door, he resolved to sleep on the couch that night.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione came home from her first day of work elated. She walked into the flat and stopped in her tracks. Right in front of her was one very confused Abraxas Malfoy. Right behind him was Cygnus Black, looking about ready to commit bloody murder.

Tom smirked. "Oh. Did I forget to tell you boys that my roommates' name happens to be Hermione Griffith?"

Hermione and the two young men looked at him incredulously.

Black broke the long silence by snarling, "You mean that all this time you have been living with _her_," he jerked his thumb over his shoulder rudely, "and you never told us."

It was Hermione who responded. "Who me? I just swing by to visit every night. You know? To sleep? For the whole three days that he has lived here." By now she was snarling too.

Malfoy burst into the conversation. "Why would you want to live with her? Her hair looks like a pot scraper."

Tom arched his left eyebrow and said, "Wow. I was unaware that you knew what a pot scraper was, Malfoy."

Suddenly Hermione burst into laughter. All three men turned to look at her. She actually snorted when she looked at Malfoy.

"Try not to reproduce," she managed to wheeze out between giggles, thinking of Draco.

All of the boys looked somewhat confused, which made her giggle all the more.

Finally Black turned to Tom and said smoothly, "When you come back to your senses and want to spend time with someone other than the Mudblood, let me know." Then he left with Malfoy at his heels.

Malfoy could be heard saying, "Didn't you want to date her?"

Hermione chuckled one last time and turned to Tom, who looked suspiciously upset. Being as he usually tried to keep his face blank, this was somewhat alarming to her. She blinked and then started to back up.

He stalked towards her. "They were the best I had."

"I thought," she said calmly, "that you were not going to be meeting with these people anymore."

"I said I wouldn't go to meetings," he growled. "I never said that I wouldn't have people over from time to time, as I imagine you will, too."

"You would do well to remember that the lease is under my name," she snarled back.

His magic began to crackle around him like hers had when she had had her chat with Draco Malfoy the other day. Hers quickly rose to meet it, so that all of the lights were so dim they may as well have been off, and the air was crackling and beginning to take on a strange and very faint red glow.

He scowled at her and then left. He just turned and left the flat. She let him go.

She muttered to herself as she watched from the window as he walked away. "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom never came back to the flat that night. Hermione slept in the couch so that she would hear him when he came home. He didn't.

He had gone after Black and Malfoy to do some damage control and wound up staying at Black's place for the night and going straight to work from there.

Hermione may have been a lot of things to him lately: rescuer and housemate to start the list. She was not, however, permitted to choose whom he spent his time with. He imagined that she would want him to respect anyone she had over. He just wanted to be treated with the same respect.

As he walked to work he remembered something from the night before. His was not the only magic that had crackled through the room.

He had always, in the back of his mind, believed that she would make a wonderful dark lady. She had more than proven it last night, with her crackling magic and manipulative ways. She had effectively disposed of two of her least favourite people very quickly. He had to admit that he was impressed.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione apparated to the apothecary that morning. She was tired because the couch was too uncomfortable to sleep on. When she had come to this conclusion, she had sat on the couch with a book and waited for Tom to come home. She had no idea where he had gone and she still hadn't seen him. Was he gone forever?

She sighed and washed her hands in the sink of the backroom before setting to work. Her task for the morning was to prepare the mandrake roots for the shop. She pulled out a silver knife and walked over to the cutting board and roots. It was going to be a long day. She just hoped Tom would be there when she got home.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom came home from work and studied the flat. It was all the same. She had either controlled her magic after he had left or she had already repaired everything.

He strolled over to the kitchen, grabbed himself a mug and walked over to the couch, where he conjured himself some coffee and then settled in to read his newspaper.

Hermione came in a little bit later than usual. She had been hoping that Tom would be there before she was and so she had given him extra time to get there. She nearly crept through the door and nearly squealed with delight when she saw Tom sitting on the couch, reading the paper and drinking his coffee.

As it was, she walked over to the couch, dropped onto it dramatically, and then flopped her head down onto his shoulder. He tensed.

"You came home."

He paused for a moment. Her head was on his shoulder and she had called their flat home, which implied that she was happy here with him. He had never thought he would see the day when someone was happy with him in their lives. "Yeah."

She sighed and made no effort to move her head. However, she also made no move to do anything else, so he relaxed.

Wrong move.

She snuggled in closer and then he realised that she was fast asleep. She was so tired from worrying and waiting the night before that she was out cold on his shoulder. He looked down at her and felt his lips begin to pull upwards in a smile. He let it come. After all, it was not every day that a girl was happy and relaxed enough around him to fall asleep snuggled into his side. He took another sip of his coffee and then continued to read his paper, all the while aware of the witch at his side.

**Author's Note: **I apologise for the short chapter. It was the best I could squeeze out of my poor brain. I got a job so now I am trying to work and write. It would not be so bad if I had a clue where to go next. I am ridiculously tempted to end this here. If you want me to continue, let me know, but you had better have ideas that I can use… 


	12. The Pureblood Prince

**Disclaimer: **If I were JKR I would be off signing a million and a half copies of my new book. However, I am NOT Rowling. As a result, I am continuing on with a story that has a shockingly large audience.

**Author's Note: **A friend took pity on me and lent me her copy of DH. As a result **there may or may not be Deathly Hallows spoilers in this story! **You have been warned. Also, be warned that this chapter is rediculously fluffy.

I would like to thank all of my reviewers, who wrote me ideas and threatened to tear me apart limb from limb if I finished my story here. As a result, Corsa di Tempo goes on!

You might also like to know that I read some of my previous chapters and managed to pull myself together. I have seen what you reviewers did all along: the story cannot end yet! I have begun to make some plans for the future of the story. I have also tried to bring my writing back up to the quality it had before the interest died. Enough of my long ramble. On with the story!

_Chapter 12_

The Pureblood Prince 

Hermione woke up several hours later with a severe kink in her neck. She was also acutely aware that her pillow was abnormally warm and hard. She slowly raised her head, due to the kink in her neck, and turned to look at what she had been laying on.

It turned out to be a matter of **whom** she was laying on. She gaped for a moment as Tom rolled his shoulder a few times to get the blood flowing again. She managed to compose herself quickly.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep on you like that. It must have been terribly awkward and uncomfortable for you."

Tom looked at her. There was no way he was going to tell her that he had enjoyed it.

"It's alright."

She looked at him for a moment and then rose, slowly heading to the washroom, hoping for a painkiller potion of some kind. Tom watched her shuffle off with a small amount of concern.

He was beginning to alarm himself. He, who feared nothing and believed that love or really any emotion that did not control others, was getting these odd moments of concern or genuine like for the young witch he found himself living with. He even found himself thinking that she was attractive. This all had to stop before it got out of hand!

Hermione came traipsing back into the room, clearly feeling better. Tom smirked at her.

"Is it really necessary to dance into the room I am occupying, Griffith?"

She attempted to lift her left eyebrow. It wound up looking like a comical parody of Tom's well-known expression. "Back to surnames, are we? Alright then. No, Riddle. Griffiths do not dance, they glide."

The two of them looked at each other with completely straight faces for a moment before Hermione burst out laughing. Even Tom deigned to smile.

It was a real smile, not a smirk. He did not try to stop it or hide it and Hermione stopped laughing to watch as it completely transformed his face. He was a good-looking man at the best – er, worst – of times. Right at that moment he was beautiful.

The smile died a little bit as he noticed her stare. She snapped out of her daze and flushed. She looked away, recalling Draco Malfoy's groupies, and how they had stared at him very much the same way she had just looked at Tom Riddle. She had always been disgusted with them. Now she was one of them.

Then again, she had always been disgusted by the very idea of a young man turning into a monster and look where she was.

She gained her composure and looked up at Tom. The smile was gone and there was a slightly predatory look in his eyes. She lifted both of her eyebrows and asked, "What?"

Hermione staring at him was not something new to Tom. Some days she looked at him like she was pitying him. He hated that. Some days she looked at him like she was repulsed. That did not shock him when he thought about her blood status and everything that she knew about him.

This, however, was new. Hermione looking at him as if she might start to salivate on his shirt was something he had never experienced from her before. It was the opposite of revulsion.

She thought he was attractive.

He wondered what had brought about the change. He was still the same Tom he had been before.

Then he remembered the smile. The closest she had ever come to seeing him smile was when he had chuckled that one time. She had gaped then, too, but not like this.

Tom Riddle was confused. He did, however, manage to hide it admirably under a very Slytherin-esque smirk.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione was baffled. Tom had known what she had been thinking when she had embarrassed herself the night before. The depth of his understanding was clearly written all over his face.

Yet he had slept on the couch.

Not that she was complaining of course, she hastened to reassure herself. She was just confused. He was generally a very predatory person but all of the sudden he was backing off while smirking evilly.

She pondered all of this as she wandered to work. She was tired due to being up for some time wondering at her sudden lack of self-control. Added to that, she had not slept the night before that, as she had been waiting for Tom to come home.

She arrived at the apothecary and walked into the back room, where she washed her hands and set out to clean the front of the store.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hours had passed and Hermione was bored. There was nothing for her to read here, other than the labels on some of their products and she had read all of them a dozen times, at least. The shelves were all stocked and the store was clean. She had even cleaned the back room in her boredom.

Delight shot through her as she heard the bell over the door jingle. She looked up and found herself wracking her brain, trying to place the familiar face.

The rather handsome young man did it for her. "You went to Hogwarts for part of sixth year, did you not?" At her nod, he continued. "I am Stan Prince. I believe you would have heard of me. You spent time with Rotherst."

Hermione felt a slash of recognition. She remembered Maddy drooling over some guy named Stan. "You were in Ravenclaw, right?"

He smiled. "I was. Played on the quiddich team. Chaser."

Hermione smiled at him. His light brown hair fell in curls that made her think of Draco Malfoy's friend, Zabini. He was tall, though not as tall as Tom, and his blue eyes sparkled at the unexpected surprise of meeting someone he knew.

Suddenly she remembered something. "You say your last name is Prince?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yes."

"Are you at all related to Eileen Prince? She played gobstones, I believe."

She watched in amazement as he nodded and said, "Yeah. She's my half sister. She does her last year of Hogwarts in the fall."

"Are you serious? You look nothing like her!" said Hermione, thinking of the young woman whose picture she had seen in her sixth year. That woman could easily be the mother of the grossest piece of flesh to grace Hogwarts since Voldemort had gone back looking for a job.

Stan was stunning.

Hermione smiled at him and then said smoothly, "I'm sure you did not come in here to introduce yourself to me. What can I do for you?"

He smiled back and replied, "I came looking for erumpent horns. They are crazy hard to find. Do you have any?"

"We most certainly do. Just a moment," she said calmly. She strolled into the back room and grabbed a jar of ground erumpent horn powder and another of the whole horns floating in some kind of mystery fluid. She tried not to think about what the fluid was in that jar as she walked back out to show them to Stan.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom was sitting behind the counter at Flourish & Blotts, flipping through an old text on various potions. He glanced up and looked out the window absently, while still absorbing the information that he had just read.

As he let his gaze skip around the street, he found himself looking at two familiar figures. It was Hermione and some Ravenclaw boy that had been in Tom's year. He and Tom and not gotten along at all and so to see him with Hermione made Tom's blood boil.

He rushed out the door and made sure that the closed sign was pointing outwards. He then nearly ran in the direction he had seen them go in. He had just missed them, it seemed. They were gone.

He returned to work very angry.

When he arrived back at the flat, he was appalled to see Hermione sitting on one end of their couch, with the Ravenclaw boy sitting in one of the chairs. He silently made his way over to the other end of the couch so that he was beside Hermione.

She positively beamed up at him. "Hello, Tom. I didn't hear you come in."

He nodded to her and then looked over at their guest, who looked a little bit off. He seemed rather stunned, actually, Tom noted.

He looked at Hermione and spoke softly in his deep, smooth voice with its slight Irish accent, "You never told him that I was your flatmate, did you?"

"Why?" she asked, looking honestly confused.

"He wouldn't be here if he had known, would you, Prince?" He spat the last part out like it was vile in his mouth.

"Most likely not. Come, Hermione. Let's go to my place."

Tom felt his eyes go red and his anger peak. This man dared invite _his_ Hermione to his flat?

Hermione felt the magic in the air before it began to crackle and said softly, "Maybe some other time, Stan." She looked at Tom. "I have some things I need to sort out with Tom tonight."

Stan looked like he was going to complain, but he finally just nodded and left. Tom smirked.

"Your eyes are still red. When they stop, come talk to me," Hermione said in a tone that was nearly dead. It almost frightened Tom.

As soon as the bedroom door was closed Tom headed for the washroom. He looked in the mirror. Sure enough, his eyes were a frightening shade of scarlet. He would have probably enjoyed the colour and tried to keep it if it weren't for Hermione being in the bedroom, waiting for him.

He sat down on the side of their tub and waited, thinking of her dead tone with him, and how cheerful she had been with Stan. She liked him better, Tom thought bitterly. Who wouldn't?

Tom was quiet, mean, sarcastic, and generally evil. Evil in its true sense.

Stan was outgoing, friendly, genuine, and all things, really, that Tom was not.

He finally stood and looked at himself in the mirror again. He almost wished that his eyes would stay red so that he would not have to hear her say that she liked the Ravenclaw better.

Unfortunately, or fortunately as some may see it, his eyes were no longer their eerie scarlet colour. They had returned to his usual grey with hints of blue. He walked out of the washroom and prepared for the information that he knew and did not want to hear.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione looked up from the book she was reading when she heard a knock on the door. It must have taken his eyes a long time to turn back into their beautiful grey shade if he was just knocking now.

She rose and opened the door. For the first time since she had met him, Tom Riddle could not look her in the eye. She smiled softly but he did not see it, as enthralled as he seemed to be with the floor.

She grabbed his hand and tugged on it a little bit. He followed her into the room and then simply stood there. He looked up at her and found her looking at him with a certain degree of confusion. He looked at the floor again.

Hermione reached up and gently took hold of his chin. She moved his head so that he was forced to meet her gaze.

"Tom, what's wrong?"

He looked her in the eye and remained determinedly silent. There was no way he was going to tell her that he was insecure around her. At this point, if she could not figure it out for herself, she was not nearly as intelligent as he thought she was.

Hermione studied him intently. He looked like he was… scared. Tom was scared? Of what?

She continued to look at him. Suddenly his mask slipped. It was only for a short moment but it was enough for her to see the insecurity. She quickly realized what the problem was.

She lightly placed her hand on his cheek. He flinched away.

"Tom, I'm not going anywhere. Nor am I going to tell you to leave. I do _not_ like Stan more than you. In fact, at this point I think it is safe to assume that there are very few people around here that I like more than you. Relax."

Against his will, Tom felt himself doing just that. He looked into her caramel coloured eyes and saw only what he heard in her voice. She really did care about him.

Suddenly, Hermione felt the need to really make him understand that she did, in fact, care. She threw herself at him in a huge hug.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom was tense. Ridiculously so, actually. There was a girl _hugging_ him. A girl that he actually respected. Her arms were around his neck and she was leaning on him because she was so much shorter than him and needed to stand on her tiptoes to hug him properly.

He, ever so slowly, moved his arms upwards. Inch by inch he began to reach for her. He was so very close to making contact when she backed up slightly. She made contact for him.

He nearly dropped his arms. Hermione, it seemed, had other ideas.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione began to pull away in embarrassment. He had not responded to her hug. She had stayed in that position for a long moment, hoping that he would accept the contact. He had not moved, as far as she could tell.

As she had began to move away from Tom, she ran into something. His arms. He had moved. He had not actually touched her, but he had moved to try and accept the hug.

He looked away and began to drop his arms. She swore she saw the slightest red tint in his cheeks and she smiled softly before pulling him into another hug before his arms fell all the way down to his sides.

This time, he hesitated for only a moment before placing his arms around her waist. She smiled into his shoulder. He smelled wonderful and his sweater was somewhat scratchy against her cheek.

For a moment, she thought she felt him begin to rest his head on top of hers, but he drew away at the last moment. She smiled and drew back slightly, keeping her arms around his broad shoulders.

His grey eyes were swirling with something she had never seen there before. He was not angry or putting up his cold mask. He looked slightly confused and very… happy.

Tom Riddle had never been happy a day in his life. Nor had he ever been hugged before. He supposed that the two events could easily be linked. However, he had a sneaking suspicion that it was the woman that had hugged him, not the event itself, which was causing him to feel like he did.

As he debated this with himself, he found himself somewhat drawn to her. For a moment she looked surprised, but then she smiled up at him and moved the final couple of inches and gently brushed her lips against his.

It was a soft and slight movement that sent shivers through both of them. Hermione could feel the butterflies swarming in her stomach and Tom wondered at the warm feeling moving throughout his limbs.

The two of them stared at one another before slowly, regretfully, pulling away.

Hermione smiled. "I definitely like you better than Stan."

He smirked. She was not getting rid of him, after all.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione woke up the next day with a _huge_ grin on her face. She figured that Tom would make some comment, but the heir of Slytherin was too busy trying to keep a goofy expression off of his own face.

She wandered in and grabbed her tea. She sat down and looked over at Tom who was reading his paper with a slight red tint to his cheeks.

"Merlin, we're pathetic," she finally declared.

Tom looked up from his paper, the flush in his face gone. "How so?"

"Millions of people kiss every day. We do once and we can't even look at each other, that's how!" she teased.

His lips twitched up into a small smile and she smiled back. Tom studied her for a long moment. Her hair was still frizzy (like that pot scraper that Malfoy had mentioned) and she was still short. She was entirely too smart for her own good, and she was Gryffindor to top it all off.

On the other hand, she was his.

That was definitely a good thing.

**Author's Note: **I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but I needed some fluff before I moved on. I hope none of you choked on it. Anyone need to be taken to St. Mungo's? No? Good.

By the way, I love you beautiful reviewers. However, if one more of you tells me not to end the story hear, I will be forced to take drastic measures (i.e. killing off a character that you all love). I am not ending it here. I have a whole story line to work with now!

Happy trails! -Jenn


	13. In Which Many Things Are Explained

**Disclaimer:** Once again, this is not mine.

**Author's Note:** I just realised that I made another mistake. Apparently Flourish & Blotts is now in Hogsmead. It also was Tom's fifth year when he opened the CoS, not his fourth. I am somewhat surprised that no one seems to have noticed before me. Perhaps you were distracted by the fluff that you all (shockingly enough) seem to love!

I'm a little disappointed. I set up some good stuff in the last chapter and all of the Harry Potter detectives totally missed it. The big question being, if Stan Prince is a pureblood, why are he and Tom so hateful towards each other?

**WARNING! This chapter contains an angry/evil Tom.**

Chapter 13 

_In Which Many Things Are Explained_

Hermione came home from work, hung her coat in the small closet by the door, and looked over at the couch in the living room. As per usual, Tom sat on the far side of it, reading the Daily Prophet and drinking a cup of coffee.

She was very nearly disappointed. Of all of the things that had happened the day before, she had hoped that something would be different; better; but it was all the same.

That morning things had been different. They had barely been able to look at anything but each other. This evening would be different, apparently. She could play this game too.

TRHHTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom had heard Hermione step into the apartment. He almost turned around to greet her, but he stopped himself. Surely during the course of the day she had realised how different they were. He wanted to be a dark lord and she was too good to follow along behind.

There was a long silence as she simply stood there. He nearly ached to know what she was thinking, as she stood there with her gaze prodding the side of his head. He could almost feel where it touched him, but that was ridiculous.

Finally she spoke. "What do you want for dinner?"

That was it. There was no more. She must have come to that conclusion. He sighed, unsure whether it was because he was relieved that she had seen sense, or disappointed that she didn't want him badly enough to fight for him.

"Does it matter?" he asked calmly, still not looking up from his paper, not reading a word of it.

She huffed and walked over to their kitchenette. There was a lot of rustling and clanking as she obtained cookware and ingredients. Soon the flat smelled heavenly, and Tom found that his salivary glands were working overtime. He finally looked up.

The food was cooking of its own accord, and Hermione was still staring at him.

"What are you making?" he asked, trying to think of anything but her.

"Does it matter?" she asked coldly.

Tom stared. He nearly gaped, actually. Hermione was many things but she was never cold. She had varying levels of heat, from the warm friendliness, to the new levels that she had reached the night before.

"It does."

She smirked at him and walked to the bedroom, calling over her shoulder, "It'll be done in ten."

As Tom only occasionally allowed himself to slouch, Hermione only occasionally allowed herself to speak improperly. They were both indulging themselves at the moment: she on her bed and he on the couch.

TRHHTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom came home from work the next day and was mildly shocked to see that Hermione was already at the door of their flat. She was waving her wand at the door and she had a strange manic look about her. She looked up quickly at the sound of his footsteps and shrieked.

Tom flinched at the high pitch that she hit (which he had previously thought humans were physically unable to do) and studied her again.

"What?" she asked nervously.

"Exactly," he responded dryly.

She studied him again before quickly looking over her shoulder and dragging him into their flat. She stood behind the door and waved her wand at it again while Tom looked on in mild amusement.

"Do you hate me?"

The question was said in a nearly frantic state. He stared at her again before replying, "No."

It was, he thought, fairly obvious that he did not. He also believed that it was implied that he wanted to know what inspired such a question.

It was, apparently, not so obvious to Hermione, who looked at him long and hard before asking her next question.

"So you know nothing about the creepy looking guys who are following me around?"

If Tom had still been amused by her panic, it would have ended there. As it was, he was not amused. In fact, he looked rather angry.

"Are you accusing me of something, Griffith?" he growled.

Hermione looked even more nervous now. In the earlier days of their acquaintance, he would have revelled in her cowering away from him. As it was, he felt hurt and offended.

"No. I just need to make sure."

"Of course I don't, Griffith. What do you take me for? A monster?" he was still snarling at her and she was still cowering.

She evaded the question. "Like I said, there are people following me and they look suspiciously like your people, you see, with their black cloaks and whatnot."

"So now everyone who looks at you wrong and wears a black cloak is one of 'my people'?" The snarl in his voice was gone. He sounded… defeated.

At one point Hermione would have been thrilled to hear such a tone in his voice. Now she felt only regret that she had reduced him to this.

"I thought I saw Malfoy," she whispered.

Tom's gaze snapped to her face. She did not appear to be lying. '_Crap_'.

The two of them looked at each other for a long time before Tom turned and wordlessly walked out the door. Hermione crumpled onto the floor in tears.

What had she done?

TRHHTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom walked into the village with one thought on his mind: he needed to find Abraxas Malfoy.

He found Malfoy and Black at the Hogs Head with a couple of girls that had been in their year at school.

Black looked up and smirked. "Well look who's decided to join us."

The girl practically sitting on Black's lap tittered. "Hi Tom."

"Have we met?" he asked politely, with a look on his face, which clearly said that he was not at all interested in this conversation. The girl didn't take the hint.

"Oh, yes. I am Druella Rosier. I was in Slytherin. Your year." She sounded disappointed that Tom did not remember her. He smirked at her before glancing at the girl at Malfoy's side.

She had long chestnut curls piled on her head in what was supposed to be an elegant bun. Tom thought she looked ridiculous. She smiled at him shyly before looking away. She was quiet, and therefore preferable to that terrible Druella girl.

He looked at Malfoy, who was smirking in a rather obnoxious manner. "Malfoy, we need to talk."

The girl at Malfoy's side stepped out of the booth so that Malfoy could get out. He did not move.

"Malfoy," Tom said warningly. Malfoy continued to smirk without moving even slightly in Tom's direction.

"_Malfoy! Move!_" Tom bellowed, drawing his wand and pointing at the other man's neck. Abraxas finally shifted towards the edge of the seat and Tom, who stood waiting for him with his wand still pointing at the man's throat.

The two silently left the building and headed for the Shrieking Shack. As they stepped inside, Tom wisely put silencing charms on the place, and warded the door against intruders. He then turned to the biggest idiot in his ranks, prepared to punish him.

Malfoy was studying the shack with a look of relative calm. Tom scowled. What had happened to the days when he had struck fear into the hearts of his followers?

To establish himself as the dominant force in this duo, Tom flicked his wand wordlessly in Malfoy's direction. Instantly the young man was on the floor, screaming with pain. Oh yes. Tom loved his torture curse, unforgivable as it may be.

After a minute, Tom once again silently waved his wand in the direction on the writhing fellow on the floor. The shack was suddenly silent, with the exception of Malfoy's shuddering breaths. Tom looked closer. The young man had tears streaming down his face.

"Have you no pride, as well as respect, you fool? First, you disrespect your master, and then you weep at his feet? Get up, you fool!" He roughly nudged Malfoy with his foot.

Abraxas slowly pulled himself to his feet. He used his sleeve to wipe the tears from his eyes and cheeks and looked at Tom, whose eyes were gleaming an eerie scarlet. He flinched away and Tom smirked.

"What's wrong, Abraxas? Bit off more than you could chew?"

There was a deafening silence for a moment, before Tom sharply demanded, "Answer the question!"

Malfoy nodded quickly. "Yes, Milord."

Tom scowled at him before smirking slightly saying in a clam, almost pleased voice "I hear tell that you have been trailing Griffith."

Malfoy looked up at his tone, and nodded eagerly, thinking that he would be rewarded. How wrong he was.

"Did I tell you to do that?" Tom asked with that same tone.

Malfoy began to look alarmed and said, "No, Milord."

"Who did?" asked Tom in that alarming conversational voice.

"No one," Malfoy whispered nervously.

"_Who are you protecting??_" Tom bellowed.

Malfoy shook nervously where he stood, but said nothing.

Tom finally smiled. It was a real and true smile, which was alarming in its intensity. "You know, I don't really like traitors. They enrage me. They make me hate them. You know what I do with people that I hate?" he asked, twirling his wand in his fingers absently as he studied the nervous man before him.

Malfoy shook his head and Tom said coldly, "Answer the question, you idiot."

The fool quickly said, "No, Milord," while shaking his head vigorously.

Tom looked him dead in the eye and said, "I kill them."

He paused for a long moment, still twirling his wand in his fingers as he studied the terrified man before him. He was so pathetic; telling Tom only what he wanted to hear, and terrified at the thought of death. Tom was surprised that he had not stooped to the level of begging and grovelling. Perhaps he had more pride than Tom gave him credit for.

"You will take orders only from me. You will only do as I tell you, starting with no longer following Griffith. If you do this, I will spare your life, you pathetic scum bag. Understood?"

Malfoy nodded quickly. Seeing the dark look crossing Tom's face, he quickly corrected himself and answered the question. "Yes, Milord."

"Good. Get out of here and spread the word."

"What word, Milord?"

"That I am in charge here. I am merely off for a while, doing other things."

A dark look passed over Malfoy's pale features, but he wisely said nothing. Tom Riddle was not one to be messed with. He fled and Tom chuckled. He was back on his game, it seemed.

TRHHTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione had moved to the end of the couch that Tom always sat on, and held a huge mug of hot cocoa in her hands. She set it down quickly, rose, and drew her wand when she heard someone at the door. She was a lot braver now that she had had time to think about what she was facing and her wand shook only slightly as she waited for the person on the other side of the door to make their appearance.

When it was Tom who stepped through the door, she lowered her wand and sat back down, sullenly staring at nothing at all.

Tom studied her for a moment. She looked calmer now, although he had to admit that she had been alarming, with her wand drawn and a menacing look on her face.

He swallowed the annoyed reaction he felt when he noted that she was sitting on _his_ end of the couch, and sat in one of the armchairs, still studying her.

She finally looked at him. "Where did you go?"

"To see Abraxas," Tom said without so much as blinking.

Hermione sat up abruptly. "What did you do to him?"

He looked her square in the eye and asked, "Do you really want to know?"

She studied him in silence for a long moment. He waited patiently, knowing that she was collecting her thoughts and debating with herself. After all, she knew he had killed Myrtle and he would not be surprised if she knew about what he had done to his father and paternal grandparents.

Finally she looked at him. "Is he still alive?"

"Yes."

"That's all I want to know."

He smirked and said calmly, "If you find someone following you again, let me know."

She nodded slowly before turning back to the blank patch of wall. He felt a sudden overwhelming urge to go to her and hold her close. He wondered if she had thought about this sort of thing when they had first gotten the flat. He wondered if she ever thought about leaving or giving up on him.

He looked at her and said quietly, "Do you want me to leave you alone?" It was a loaded question.

She turned and looked at him sharply. "Heavens, no! If you leave me again I'll be forced to kill you myself!"

He smirked and gave into the urge to go and sit next to her. He sat on the other end of the couch to give her all the space she needed, which apparently was not much. She scotched over until she was right next to him and once again fell asleep leaning on his shoulder.

Tom smiled down at her. She was different from other girls. She was talkative, but not annoying, she was affectionate without being stifling, and she accepted him as he was.

TRHHTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione was talking in her sleep and she was making Tom very uncomfortable. It had started as babble and then had turned into a string of random words that were causing him to get a glimpse of how much she truly knew.

"Quirell…potions…stone…diary…basilisk…sword…Azkaban…werewolf…Wormtail…Triwizard…dragons…Voldemort…Umbridge…Dumbledore…Sirius…Snape…Malfoy…dead…hallows…Imperius…Horcruxes…"

It was the fourth and the last that made him nervous. She knew about the diary Horcrux? How? He had told no one. There was no way that she could know.

He gently nudged her off of his shoulder and rose. He began to pace. In his fifth year, or nearly three years previous, he had made the diary Horcrux. That was the same year in which he had released the basilisk and it had killed Myrtle. Hermione knew about that, too. They had discussed it in their first shared class: potions with Slughorn.

He also knew that she knew about him being the heir of Slytherin and a great many other things.

However, when he sat down and thought about it, he knew little to nothing about the woman with whom he shared a flat. He knew only what she had told him and that she truly was a mud-muggleborn witch.

Wait. Did he just stop himself from calling her a mudblood? When was the last time he even used that word? What was she doing to him??

At that point Hermione began to mumble again and he listened closely.

"No! Voldemort killed my parents? You're lying!" Tears streamed down her face as she called out. Tom froze.

Her parents were dead? _WHO_ had killed them?

He had only ever killed Myrtle, his father, and his paternal grandparents. What was this nonsense? He had killed no one who could possibly be related to her!

He sat down on one of the chairs and watched her sleep, listening for more sleep talking, and waiting for her to wake so he could ask her questions.

TRHHTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione woke up with a kink in her neck again. This time she remembered falling asleep on Tom's shoulder and so she was a little bit surprised that he was gone. She looked up to find him staring at her so intently that she became nervous.

"What?"

He hesitated, looking at her thoughtfully. "You sleep talk. I never noticed before. Nightmares?"

It was her turn to hesitate. She had been remembering her years through Hogwarts the first time (blasted time travel) and the letter she had received about her parents. What had she said?

"Yes."

"Tell me about your parents. You said they died. How did they die?"

She froze and looked very pale. Her hand shook as she raised it to her neck to rub at the kink. Tom noticed it all and raised his eyebrow.

"You know, I realised, as you talked, that I don't know that much about you. I only know what you have told me and that you are a muggleborn."

She latched on to this new topic with surprising fervour. "Yes, well… I don't really like talking about myself."

"You know everything about me. How is that fair?"

She sighed. "Life's not fair, Tom."

He spoke sharply. "Especially when you find out the girl you like thinks you killed her parents."

Hermione froze again. So she had said something she shouldn't have. "You did."

"You would think I would remember that, wouldn't you?" he asked, still in that awful sharp voice.

"Unless it hasn't happened," she said softly. It seemed that it was time to come clean.

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"Do you believe in time travel, Tom?"

"No," he bit out. "I'm not that stupid."

She laughed without humour. "That's what I said, and here I am. If you travelled about fifty-three years into the future you would meet a teenage girl named Hermione Granger. You would definitely hear about a wizard named Lord Voldemort."

His eyes lit up. "Why would I hear about myself? What would I hear?"

She looked down. "You would hear that he is the murderer of hundreds, possibly thousands. You would hear about how he is fighting against an innocent teenage boy named Harry. You would hear that everyone is terrified of you." Her voice had gotten steadily quieter as she spoke and he had to lean in to hear her.

Tom studied her thoughtfully, composing his thoughts and letting things all fall into place. "That explains all the pranks and the strange love/hate relationship we used to have. Why did you not tell me this sooner?"

She looked shockingly angry all of the sudden. To her, that seemed like a rather stupid question. "Are you serious? Yeah, I, a girl you've never met, will just traipse up to you and be all like, 'Hi, Tom. I'm Hermione and I'm from the future. You killed my parents, you arse!' Is that what you want? I can start again if you'd like!"

Tom rose. "I'm leaving," he said sharply. Hermione just looked up at him and he found himself wishing that she would ask him to stay. Merlin, she could beg him or she could order him and he would do it. He did not truly want to go, but he once again thought that she wanted him gone. Her silence proved that to him.

He walked to the bedroom, took out his few possessions, packed them all in a rucksack, and headed for the front door. He turned to look back at her one last time and found himself meeting the caramel colour eyes that he liked so much looking back at him, tears streaming from them. He studied her for a long time and she wondered if he was committing her to memory.

Slowly he turned and left. Hermione watched him go, thinking that he hated her for her deception. She was quiet as the door closed behind him.

That night she slept on the couch with her wand under a pillow.

TRHHTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom Riddle wandered the streets, feeling that he had been ripped to shreds. He was not entirely sure what it was that he felt for Hermione, but it was bittersweet. Before now, it had been a strange and wonderful feeling. Now, however, he felt like someone had hit in the stomach. If such a thing had truly happened, Tom would have been able to do something about it. As it was, he felt as if he was at loose ends.

He headed to the Hogs Head and booked himself a room with his meagre savings. He would not be there long.

He sat in silence for a few days. He went to work and he came back to his rather shoddy room. He wanted to die.

He must have muttered something like that aloud, because suddenly someone answered him.

"'Fraid that's not possible, mate."

Tom looked up to see a boy with black hair, round glasses, and a strange lightning shaped scar on his forehead. His companions were a tall gangly redheaded young man, and a girl with fiery red hair who was looking at him with such loathing he had to work not to recoil from her.

The young man who had spoken previously spoke again. "Where's Hermione?"

"Good question," said Tom dryly.

The redheaded man suddenly snapped. "Where do you have her, you evil git?"

Tom studied him, somewhat surprised. "Have we met?"

"Not yet," said the dark haired boy cryptically.

Tom arched an eyebrow. "You're Hermione's friends and I have never seen you before. You're from the future, too, aren't you?"

The girl finally spoke. "Listen," she snarled. "I have about this much patience right now." She held her thumb and her index finger about an inch apart. "Where in the name of Merlin is Hermione?"

"Probably at the flat," he said, not at all impressed with her temper.

The black haired man said calmly, "Which you are about to show us. It's better than sulking around here." He looked around the Hogs Head dining room with contempt.

Tom actually chuckled, causing all three of them to look at him oddly. Lord Voldemort chuckled?

"Does the Hogs Head not exist in your time?"

Harry smirked. "It does. Different owner."

Tom nodded. "How about that flat?" he asked as he got up.

TRHHTRHGTRHGTRHG

When they arrived at the flat, the three newcomers gaped as Tom began to wave his wand at the door. After a few moments, one of the newcomers asked, "What's with the wards?"

Tom shrugged. "She thought she was being followed. I ended her being followed but I guess she never took down the wards."

When the door was finally opened, Tom and the others walked in. There was no Hermione. Tom looked at the clock and noted that she should have been home by now. Maybe she was out with _Stan_. His blood boiled at the mere thought.

While he had been lost in his own world, the others were looking around the flat. "Nice place. Where's the other bedroom?"

"There isn't one." Tom smirked at the looks on their faces. Suddenly he had a thought. "Who are you people, anyways?"

The dark haired one spoke. "I thought you would never ask. This is Ginny-" he pointed at the girl- "and this is Ron-" he pointed at the tall gangly one.

"And you are…" Tom trailed off.

"Harry," he replied calmly. He was a little bit surprised (understatement of the century!) when Tom offered his hand.

"Tom."

"I know. We've met."

"Not yet, we haven't."

The two of them looked at each other for a long moment before the one called Ginny spoke up.

"There's someone at the door," she said, still glowering at Tom.

He moved towards the door and used a charm to see through it. He scowled and threw open the door. "What do you want?"

Stanley Prince stood in the doorway. He looked up at Tom. "Glad you're here. They took her. She's gone."

"What are you talking about?" Tom snapped, Harry coming up behind him while the others stayed back.

"I saw them in Hogsmead. They took Hermione."

**Author's Note: **dun dun dun. So, Hermione's friends have come back. We don't know how or why yet, but we shall. To top it all off, Hermione has been kidnapped! Oh, and I forgot to mention that Tom knows Hermione's secret now. Wow. A lot happened in this chapter!


	14. The Real Fairy Tale Begins

**Disclaimer: **Why do you make me do this? We all know that I own nothing and am making no money off of my supremely awesome writing skills! Fine. I'll say it. I own nothing and am making no money off of my supremely awesome writing skills. Happy?

**Author's Note: **Wow, that last chapter was loaded. Shall we see what we can do to resolve our latest problem? Oh. By the way, this chapter changes perspectives often. The sections are rather short. Enjoy!

Chapter 14 

_The Real Fairy Tale Begins_

"_WHAT??"_ the one called Ron bellowed. That seemed to be the first time that Stan noticed them but he quickly passed them by and looked back at Tom.

"I figured you were the one to tell."

The muscles in Tom's jaw were twitching as he stared off into space. His eyes briefly turned red and then they turned an alarming black colour. He turned to Harry. "Are there any Malfoys or Blacks where you're from?"

"Yeah," said Harry, trying not to think of Sirius.

"Then you would know that the lot of them are a bunch of idiots."

"I thought you said you dealt with this already," Ginny snarled at him.

"Apparently not," Tom replied without even looking at her. She began to snarl something about him under her breath.

"Did we meet? You seem pretty spiteful for someone who just met me."

Stan snapped. "Are we going to get Hermione or not?"

Tom looked at him coldly. "There is no 'we', Prince. Ever."

Harry rolled his eyes and walked out the door with the two redheads behind him. Tom followed them and Stan followed him. Tom wryly thought that they must be the strangest mix of rescuers he had ever seen (not that he had seen many).

Suddenly Stan called out, "They were just over here when they took her."

Harry studied the place for a long moment while Ron and Ginny shot angry looks at Tom, who was in turn studying the place just as intensely as Harry was. Stan stood off to the side, wishing that he knew what to do.

Finally Harry moved to talk to Stan more about what he had seen. Tom began to go to the different shops and asked the shopkeepers if they had seen anything. Eventually he reached Flourish & Blotts. He strolled in and was greeted by a co-worker.

This co-worker had seen something. He said that he had caught a glimpse of long red hair that had looked like a girl. He strolled outside and talked to the others. He told them what he had heard. Stan paled.

"What?" Tom, in all his perceptive glory, had noticed.

"I know a girl with long red hair. She has seemed to be doing some odd things lately. You met her several times, Riddle. You remember Maddy Rotherst?"

Tom scowled. "You have the worst taste in people, Prince."

Stan growled back, "Because Malfoy and Black are fantastic example of good taste!"

The two of them glared at each other until Stan made his accusation. "I bet you're behind this. You and your pureblood friends."

Tom arched his left eyebrow and smirked. "Jealous much?"

Stan looked like he might fly forwards and strangle Tom, whose hand made its way slowly down towards his wand.

"You're always so desperate to make others feel inferior, aren't you?" Stan snarled.

"You know, you would think, in all of your pureblood intelligence," Tom mocked, "that you would have noticed that it cannot have been me behind the attack if Rotherst was there, what with her not being pureblooded and all."

"Neither are you," spat a new voice. Both young men turned to see Ginny in all her Weasley tempestuous glory. Her hazel eyes flashed and her face was contorted into a mask of rage.

Stan reeled back. "Come again?"

Ginny smirked. "You're right, Tom. We have met. You are particularly good at creating solid memories, aren't you? Not to mention that _I've read your diary_."

Tom blinked. That explained how Hermione knew about the diary. Hermione!

As if reading his mind, Harry spoke. "Speaking of Hermione…" he trailed of meaningfully. Everyone caught his drift and they all got to work compiling their facts.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione studied the room that she was in. It was a bedroom; a very large and very dark bedroom. The whole thing was decorated in blacks, greens, and silvers.

_How very subtle._

As she looked at the large green comforter with the silver Celtic knot on it, she pondered how she had gotten here. She remembered a brief flash of red hair, the tight feeling of being squeezed like toothpaste that came with disapparating, and then the bright red stunner that had hit her. She did not recall hitting the ground (if she even had. Hit the ground, that is).

Suddenly a voice came from behind her.

"Like it?"

Hermione spun around to see Malfoy smirking at her. "What do you want?" she snarled.

Abraxas Malfoy shot her a smirk that was clearly supposed to be a winning smile. "Why must you think so poorly of me?"

Hermione simply glared at him, not saying a word. He wouldn't believe her, anyways, if she told him that she knew his son and grandson when the two did not even exist yet, so she kept her mouth shut.

As she glowered, Malfoy stepped towards her. "You know," he said, "if you were not a mudblood…" He trailed off.

Hermione decided that she simply did not want to know.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

The heir of Slytherin was certainly imposing and intimidating, Harry decided. Unfortunately, his scar had begun to prickle, and he knew that Tom was attempting to be intimidating whist he was scared half to death. It seemed that Hermione and Tom Riddle were a lot closer then he had anticipated. If the man became any more alarmed, Harry was afraid he would have to stun him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" a low voice with a slight Irish accent asked.

Harry looked up to see the young man in question was looking straight at him.

"Riddle, how many Horcruxes have you made?" he asked quietly so that no one else would hear him.

Tom blinked and then studied Harry for a long moment. Finally he said equally as quietly, "One. The diary."

Harry looked shocked. According to the time that he was from, by now there should have been at least two: the diary and Marvolo Gaunt's ring.

"What about the ring?"

"What ring?"

Harry was even more dumbfounded. Tom was a convincing liar when he needed to be, he knew, but this was a little much. Harry could feel, through his scar, the confusion sweeping through this young dark lord. He looked up at Tom for a moment and then he nodded and went back to the search for Hermione.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom stared after Hermione's friend. This one was preferable by far to the other two with whom he had come. This one seemed to know what to say and when to say it.

What was this nonsense about a ring, though? He would have to ask Hermione when they found her.

Right. Hermione.

Panic set in on him again. He was trying to stay tough so that he would actually be able to help the others find her, but he was losing the battle. He was unsure of why he was so nervous. She was just his flatmate.

The flatmate whom he had kissed.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione was looking around the room again. There was nothing to see that she had not already seen countless times, but she needed something to do. Malfoy had told her that he had taken her wand and there were no books in the room. All that was left was to look around her and to count.

She counted the number of days she had been in this horribly Slytherin room. She counted the number of turns in the green Celtic knot on the comforter. She counted the number of times Malfoy came to visit her.

Each time that he came, she counted backwards from two hundred in Latin to distract herself. After all, he had a wand and she did not. If she had, she would have hexed him and been out of here by now.

As she looked around the room for something new to count, she noticed something that she had not noticed before. There was a piece of parchment on the desk that she was certain had net been there earlier.

Hermione rose, and walked towards the desk. She picked up the letter (for that's what it was: a letter) and began to read.

_Malfoy,_

_I'm glad you replied. I would be so glad to help you deal with your problem, as it would help me to deal with mine. She has made moves on the man that I desire, as I have previously stated, and I want her out of the way._

_Feel free to send me another owl telling me what it is that you wish me to do._

_Rotherst_

Rotherst? As in Maddy Rotherst?

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Ron was glaring. When all else fails, glare.

With this philosophy in mind, he studied Tom Riddle, who would go on to kill hundreds, possibly thousands. He was standing, tall and calm, and Ron could understand why this Stan guy thought Riddle was behind it. He was just way too calm.

"Can I help you?" Riddle asked calmly.

"No," Ron sneered.

Tom's left eyebrow rose, and if Hermione had been there, she would have laughed at the predictability of it. "Then why are you staring at me like you would like to kill me?"

"Because I would," Ron snapped.

Harry chose that moment to intervene. "Ron. Chill. Riddle. Focus."

It was only four words, but it set the young men in question back on task.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

After continued searching for clues, Tom decided that this was all a waste of time. They could be questioning Rotherst or storming Malfoy Manor. This business of repetitively combing the street for clues was making Tom want to Avada someone!

He looked up at the fiery redhead with whom he had had words earlier. Weasley, if Tom remembered correctly. He was tall and gawky.

However, he was hot headed, and Tom decided he would do well to steer clear of him until he knew more about the man and his temper.

Speaking of temper, it seemed to him that the young woman, Weasley's sister, also had an incredible temper. And she knew about the diary.

In fact, now that he thought about it, it seemed to him that the first words he had heard from any of them, were from Potter about his inability to die. He would only know about that if he knew about the Horcrux.

He was still wondering about this ring. Why would Potter ask about a ring when he had just asked about the Horcrux. In the future, did he have a Horcrux in a ring?

Tom had not been this confused since he and Hermione had been in sixth year together.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione sat on the bed, wondering about the letter she had found. Maddy Rotherst was involved in something with Malfoy, of whom she had been terrified in her sixth year?

It seemed that way. But what were they doing? Something about a girl stealing the guy that Maddy liked. Hermione racked her brains…

And dropped her jaw in horror.

Maddy had liked a boy named Stan when the two of them had been in school together. A Stan who played chaser for the Ravenclaw quiddich team. A boy who looked suspiciously like Stan Prince, with whom she had become friends.

Hermione racked her rather considerable brains again, searching for a time when Maddy may have seen them together. All she came up with was the day that Stan had come into the apothecary and had asked about her. The two of them had not been seen in public since, so that had to be it.

She would have to ask Malfoy when he came to see her next.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Ginny glowered at Tom's back. He had nearly killed her, and he had looked just like he did now, with not one hair out of place. His neat appearance rankled her. He looked the same, while she had scars; both emotional and physical, from the battle she had fought against him.

The time travel bit did not fit into this. This was the man she hated, no matter when he was from.

She continued to launch mental boulders at him, seeing if she could kill him without actually putting effort into it. If she was noticeable, she could be sent to Azkaban. That was definitely not what she wanted.

She looked at Harry and nearly drooled. Now THAT was what she wanted.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom was trying desperately to not look at the youngest Weasley, to control his temper, and not to let his fear get the best of him. It was taxing.

Finally he decided that he was going to have to stop doing one of them and focus on the other two. He decided to let go of his temper, as it showed the least amount of weakness.

"Weasley," he spoke in that deadly voice that was entirely too calm to be calm. "Stop your glaring at me. Potter, you realise that there is no conceivable way we could get any more information off this bloody street. We might as well be looking for Rotherst or Malfoy."

Ginny had paled dramatically when he had spoken to her in that tone. Apparently that was how to make her shut up. Potter was an entirely different entity.

"Scared much?"

Tom's jaw twitched and his eyes went very hard. "I am **not** scared!"

Harry's eyes sparkled. "Right. See this?" He pointed to his scar. "This lets me see what you see and feel what you feel. Heck. I can see what you're thinking when I want."

Tom blinked. Strange scar, that.

The other boy grinned. "Take it easy. She'll be okay. She has been through a lot of things like this."

"What? When?"

Harry took pity on the other man. Tom liked to know what was going on and so it must have been killing him to not know what Harry was talking about. Particularly on the topic of Hermione.

"Where we are from, there is a war going on. Hermione can look after herself. She has before and she will again." When Tom continued to look at him expectantly, he added, "That's all I am going to say. If you want more, you will have to ask her yourself."

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione was looking up at the night sky and counting the stars when there was a voice behind her.

"Hello, Griffith."

Hermione had not even turned. Ever since she had seen that note, she had been waiting for Maddy Rotherst to make an appearance.

"Rotherst," she returned, still looking out the window and mildly annoyed that she had lost count of the stars.

Suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder. "You will show us respect," Malfoy snarled.

"Why?" she asked bluntly.

"Because we are your superiors. Have you or have you not noticed that you have been kidnapped?" he practically hissed.

She laughed. "Superiors?"

Malfoy snarled again and drew his wand. She smirked. "Come on, Malfoy. Do it. Tom will find you and kill you anyways. What have you got to lose?"

Maddy suddenly looked nervous. "Tom? As in Tom Riddle?"

Hermione laughed again. "Did Malfoy forget to mention that he and I are flatmates? Did he at least mention that he wanted me kidnapped to get back at Tom for ignoring his evil plots; for spending time with me?"

Maddy gaped and Malfoy levelled his wand on Hermione.

She never even glanced in his direction.

"That's right. I have no plans to steal Stan Prince from you. You have made yourself Tom Riddle's enemy for no reason simply because you did not get your facts straight."

Malfoy had finally had enough, it seemed. He began to speak.

"Avada…"

**Author's Note: **I apologise for the shortness of this chapter. It is only a little over half the length that we are all used to, but I needed to connect the last chapter and the next. I also thought that you have all been so patient waiting for this that you deserved _something_!!

I have to say, for someone who hates cliffies, this is pretty good…


	15. The Princess Is Rescued Sort Of

**Disclaimer: **Wouldn't it be nice if I did own them all? The books are not mine. "Bibbity bobiddy boo" is also not mine. I believe that is the property of one Walt Disney.

**Author's Note: **Alright, you know how in fairy tales Prince Charming always comes to the rescue? And how the princess is always weak and defenceless? That's not this story.

I would also like to apologize in advance to any Ron fans and Maddy's one fan. I refuse to say any more on this topic. I will also say that the sections in this chapter are short but I think you'll like it! Oh! This will be another short chapter. Sorry.

**Warning: **This chapter contains some cursing! (By which I mean cursing other than 'Merlin' and 'bloody.')

Chapter 15 The Princess Is Rescued… Sort Of 

Hermione was pacing. Counting had failed her. She had even counted how many steps it took to cross the room. She knew that if she paced diagonally, she would make it to twenty large steps. She could cross the room straight in exactly sixteen. Counting was now useless.

If there was one thing Hermione hated, it was being bored. Counting had only worked for so long. Now she was left with nothing.

She began to get angry. How dare that blonde ferret ancestor and his idiot redhead companion kidnap and kill her! She lived with the heir of bloody Slytherin! What in the name of Merlin had they been thinking??

Darn right, they hadn't been!

It had been Maddy to save her life, really. The girl had tackled him and told him that Hermione was not worth it. Besides, Tom would have been even more angry with them if she was dead!

As she worked herself into more of a rage, the air began to crackle which, of course, made her think of that moment with Tom when their magic had reacted quite strongly to one another.

That, in turn, caused her to direct her thoughts (and rage) to Tom. How dare he leave her here! _As if_ he wouldn't have thought it would be Malfoy!

She began to pace faster, taking quicker but shorter steps and not even noticing. As a result, they went uncounted.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom was pacing. Hermione was still gone and the half-wits he was with were still blubbering about, making themselves so useless it made his head hurt. These people were her bloody friends?

As he paced be began to count. He had always heard that counting to ten slowly helped to calm one down. He counted to fifty before he decided that it was not working. Stupid counting. He wondered what people saw in it. It clearly did not work.

He turned to look at the dunderheads that Hermione called friends.

Harry was standing in the corner, talking to Prince about what he had seen… again. Weasley and Weasley were standing in the corner, looking sullen and glaring at him in a manner that would have been thoroughly disconcerting if he had been the sort who was easily disconcerted. He, Tom, was still pacing.

He finally snapped. "Listen up," he barked at the group. They all looked up in surprise, Harry's only minor, to Tom's disappointment. "I am sick of this standing around. I am going to Malfoy Manor and whoever wishes to come may do so."

He turned and stormed out of the building. Tom Riddle had lost his cool again.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione was staring out the window in all of her mounting rage when there was a tentative knock at the door.

"What?" she snapped.

The door squeaked slightly as it opened and a quiet feminine voice spoke. "I'm sorry."

Hermione turned. Maddy Rotherst was standing there, looking thoroughly contrite.

"Are you actually serious? You actually expect me to just smile at you and say something like, 'that's okay, Maddy. Everything will be fine.' I hope not. You kidnapped me!" She was nearly snarling with rage and her magic began to crackle again.

Maddy paled dramatically. "No! I just thought…" She trailed off. Bad plan.

Hermione scowled. "No you didn't. That's what went wrong. You didn't think."

Maddy was beginning to back towards the door as Hermione advanced on her. The magic crackling through the air and the look on the other girl's face were enough to terrify poor Maddy.

Suddenly there was a loud _BANG!_ and a brilliant flash of light. After a split second, the light receded and Hermione was left to smirk at Maddy's unconscious body on the floor.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom was thinking about his grand entrance.

He was sure he would find Hermione bound and gagged or some such thing at Malfoy Manor and would have to rush to her rescue. At that point she would adore him and the two would live happily ever after.

Harry choked, flushed, and gaped at him.

Tom's ears turned pink, remembering that Harry could see what he was thinking. It certainly was not what the other man would be counting on if he were expecting the murderer of so many.

"You alright, mate?" Ron asked.

"Yeah," said Harry, furtively glancing at the heir of Slytherin. "Just choked on some fluff."

Ron looked confused. Ginny had barely glanced at Harry, busy as she was, glaring at Tom. Stan just looked lost, as per usual.

Tom managed to compose himself while everyone was distracted (except Ginny, and she never looked away so she didn't count). Afterwards he glanced at Potter and nodded ever so slightly. The other man nodded back, albeit with a disgusted look on his face.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

There was a loud thumping noise outside her door, as if someone was running up a flight of stairs. She smirked. The bang she had made had been rather loud, after all.

There was a click and the door swung open to reveal one very panicked looking Cygnus Black.

"You," she said, with a horrible deadly calm. The blank expression on her face and the voice that was calm and yet not (if that made any sense) reminded Black of Riddle and he regained his composure.

"Me. What in Merlin's name did you do to her? You don't even have a wand!"

"I just said 'bibbity bobiddy boo' and she was done for," said Hermione, still looking and sounding remarkably calm.

"What…?" He was so confused. He was a pureblood predating Cinderella by Disney. He had no idea what she was talking about.

Too bad there was a good chance he wouldn't live to see it. After all, between her and Tom, the man didn't stand a chance, right?

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom was wandering through the manor. This house was ridiculously large and dark. It was full of old paintings that were suspiciously empty. He looked around slightly nervously.

Stan stepped forwards and waved his wand at each one in turn. "Whatever portrait they are in, they're frozen in."

Harry studied the other boy. "How did you learn that?"

"Pureblood with tonnes of paintings of my ancestors. I hated them always checking up on me for my mother, so I learned a spell to freeze them."

Ron and Tom simultaneously arched their left eyebrows and then looked at each other in disgust. That had so not happened!

Harry chuckled at the sight of the two of them glowering at each other. Stan and Ginny looked at each other in confusion. There were some really odd things going on.

As they walked through the manor, Tom trying to remember where he was going, there was a loud bang. The group of them went tearing up the stairs. They dropped back, however, when they spotted a certain blonde coming down the hall at a brisk walk.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

"Ah, Black. What a fool you are," Hermione sneered.

He scowled. "Not nearly the fool you are."

"Could one truly call me a fool when I recently rendered a girl unconscious without the use of a wand?" she asked in a ridiculously superior voice.

Black scowled at her. "You're nothing but a useless mudblood."

"Right," Hermione smirked. "And she is…" she trailed off, dramatically gesturing to the prone girl on the floor.

Cygnus never had a chance to respond. At that moment the door was opened yet again.

Abraxas Malfoy strode into the room. "What is going on in here?"

"Ah. Malfoy." Hermione was back to that blank and superior expression and voice. "The gang's all here." It was another muggle expression that left the two boys in confusion.

"What is Merlin's name are you _talking _about?" Black snapped. Hermione simply smirked at him.

Outside the door, a couple of wands rose and then fell again as she finally lost her temper (while maintaining that wonderful blank look and expression).

"Black, you're a moronic bastard."

Cygnus gaped. Hermione never cursed. On the other side of the door, the group was rather shocked as well. Maddy may have been if she was not still unconscious.

Abraxas, however, did not know her well enough to see the oncoming storm. He raised his wand… and froze where he stood.

Hermione, still in her rage, felt her magic begin to crackle and snap. She turned and saw Stan Prince standing in the doorway with his wand pointed at Malfoy.

"You have got to be bloody kidding me!" She snapped. "What in the name of Merlin's underpants are you doing here?"

"Merlin wears underpants?"

Tom, Harry, Ron, and Ginny all flinched. Of all the things the boy could have said, that was possibly the worst.

Hermione nearly roared at poor Stan. "What is this; national day for idiots? Did you feel the need to come and rescue me? Heaven forbid that the pureblood Prince not save the princess from the villain and live happily ever after! Do I look like I don't have this under control?" She gestured wildly at Maddy, lying on the floor even still. "I did that without a bloody wand and you think I need your help? What are you, stupid? I have made it through my life so far-"

She cut off when she saw Tom over Stan's shoulder. She flew at him and threw her arms around his neck. "You saved me!" she said eagerly, leaving the others in a state of confusion.

Tom, however, simply smirked and said simply, "You missed one," and turned her to face a rather terrified Cygnus Black.

Her magic had never calmed itself, and now an angry Tom Riddle contributed to it. The two of them managed to turn the air nearly red and the sparks that had been previously snapping became visible. It was a sight to behold: Tom and Hermione standing side-by-side facing someone who had once been Tom's follower.

Suddenly, the magic, by their control or by a force of its own, snapped out like a whip and struck Black down. There was another terrible _BANG! _and blinding flash of light before the magic in the room seemed gone. Hermione sagged against Tom, her energy depleted by the excessive amounts of magic that she had called upon.

That was when the other three time travellers made their presence known.

All of Hermione's exhaustion faded into oblivion for the moment as she screamed and flew at them, full of a million questions.

"How are you here?" She hugged Harry. "What are you doing at Malfoy Manor?" She hugged Ginny quite forcefully. "Why are you rescuing me even now?" She flew at Ron, who caught her twirled her around and kissed her soundly.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom felt a strange feeling inside him. He supposed that this was how it felt when your heart broke. He wouldn't know. Before Hermione, he had assumed that he did not even have a heart.

Harry suddenly doubled over in pain. Everyone turned to him as he fell to the ground and rolled up in the fetal position. Everyone looked at him in panic, but Harry had eyes only for Tom.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he gasped out as sweat rolled down his face.

Hermione was the only one, other than Tom, who understood. She looked at Ron, whose face was creased with concern for his friend. Then she looked at Tom. To the average person who did not know him, he looked calm and impassive. She knew him better than that.

She also knew that the only way to save Harry was to save Tom.

"Ron," she said softly.

The redhead looked at her, concern for Harry written all over his face.

"What would you do to ensure that you friend never feels pain quite like this again?"

"Anything," Ron said fervently, looking at his friend again.

She studied Harry for a moment before looking back at Ron sadly. "Even let me go?"

The conversation was spoken quietly so that the others would not hear them. That was now changed.

"What are you talking about?" Ron demanded loudly.

"Harry's pain will go away if you can let me go. Really and truly let me go." She met his gaze without flinching.

"I don't understand," Ron nearly whimpered.

"Ron, do you remember when Harry used to be in a lot of pain when You-Know-Who was feeling a strong emotion?"

Even Ron was not dumb enough to miss the connection. The two Weasleys flew at Tom. Hermione smiled and said, "It won't do you any good to beat Tom to a pulp."

Ron and Ginny both turned to look at her, Ginny's gaze briefly flashing to where Harry lay, groaning on the expensive hardwood floor.

"If you can let me go, I can make it go away."

Ron finally looked at Harry. Harry nodded and gasped out, "Do it."

That made Hermione happy. Harry knew what would happen if Ron let her go and he was going for it.

Ron looked back at Hermione, an intense pain in his gaze. "Fine."

Hermione smiled at him, gave him a hug, and turned to Tom. She walked towards him quickly, speeding up to a run. Soon she had her arms wrapped around his neck.

Harry's pain began to ease and Ron had to look away as Hermione began to rain kisses on Tom's face, murmuring about how she was happy he had come for her.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

"_You bitch!_"

Hermione and Tom's moment came to an abrupt halt at Ginny's screech.

"You called me what?" Hermione asked in amazement. In her happiness, she had forgotten that Ginny had a past with Tom (a terrible one, at that) and some fierce family loyalty.

"You can't just leave my brother for some dark lord scum!"

Hermione began to smirk. "Let's not do this now," she said, looking over at the distraught Ron.

Ginny screeched again. "No! We will do this now!"

Hermione looked at Ron, who finally looked back at her. He nodded slightly and she smiled briefly before turning to Ginny, still wrapped in Tom's arms.

"Alright. We'll do it now. I can't leave someone I was never with! Add that to the fact that you guys were not around! I'm pretty sure you noticed that one!" Hermione was beginning to become loud and hysterical. Tom pulled her a little closer and whispered something in her ear. She began to calm slightly.

Ginny, on the other hand, was not being aided by her boyfriend. He was tugging on her wrist and telling her that this was not a good time.

You see, Harry had noticed two things. One was that Stan was looking at them in slight confusion. Merlin help them if he found out the truth. Also, Maddy was beginning to rouse (finally) from her blissful slumber on the floor.

Ginny finally had to be silenced. Ron did it. Finally he looked at Hermione and gave her a half-hearted attempt at a smile, which she returned.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Maddy woke up to a splitting headache. She had just had the weirdest dream in which Hermione had attacked her. A wandless Hermione, at that. That was simply not possible.

She began to sit up and noticed that Stan was standing there, looking at her as if she were repulsive. She wanted to sob at the mere sight of it.

"Stan, I just-"

"Kidnapped my friend," he interrupted harshly.

"I didn't know…" she trailed off. Now was not the time to tell him how she felt about him. She glanced over at Hermione, who smirked at her before turning back to Tom and talking to him in a ridiculously animated fashion.

Stan continued to pin her with a cold stare. She looked back at him and flinched at the anger she saw.

He said one word before he turned and left the premises. The one word that could destroy all of her hopes and dreams.

"_Bitch_."

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione was studying the flat. It had been a couple of days since she had been kidnapped and the place still looked the same. Tom hadn't changed a thing. She mentioned it to him.

"You think I was actually here?" he asked with slight disbelief.

She giggled. "I suppose not."

Harry was watching the two of them quietly. Hermione's adoration for the Slytherin was written all over her face. His love for her was screaming through Harry's head. He nearly felt euphoric as a result.

The two of them were talking happily. Suddenly she laughed at something he said. They were so happy together. How was he supposed to take her home when she was so in love? Besides, if she left Tom might become Voldemort again. This was all so confusing.

He was happy for his friend and the happiness that she had found. He was not happy that he would have to leave her behind. If he ever saw her again, she would be sixty or older. It would not be the same. Nothing would ever be the same again.

It was time to let her go.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

The two Weasleys were outside in a quiet corner, talking. Ginny wanted to rip Hermione and Tom's throats out. Ron wanted Hermione to be happy, no matter what happened.

The truth was, Ron could see her point. He had never asked her out. He had always just assumed that she would be there. It had never occurred to him that she might fall in love with someone else; someone whom he hated.

It had never crossed his mind that she would not want him, too.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Harry had turned to leave his friend and the man she clearly loved, even if Tom was not aware of it yet. The two of them needed time and he needed to make sure his girlfriend was under control and his friend was not dying of a broken heart somewhere.

Hermione looked up at Tom when Harry had left. "They came for me."

Tom simply looked at her, confused, so she elaborated. "They want to take me back."

The look of horror on Tom's face broke her heart. "I'm not going anywhere, Tom. I couldn't."

Once again, Tom said nothing and simply looked at her. She studied him, as well, and decided that it was time.

"Tom?"

He nodded once; still afraid that she would go and leave him. "I love you."

He blinked. Then he blinked again. He opened his mouth. Then he closed it. He opened it again and it stayed that way until Hermione gently closed it with the tip of her finger.

"Are you alright?" she whispered nervously.

He swallowed and then answered, "no one has ever said that to me before. Hermione, I don't really know what love is, but I think I may love you, too."

She positively beamed at him, wondering at the change in her Slytherin. He was so different and she was so proud.

**Author's Note: **Well folks, I think we may only have about one chapter left to go. Corsa di Tempo has nearly reached its end. Maybe someday I will edit those first few terrible chapters.

In the meantime, would you rather read a Tom/OC story or a Salazar/OC story? Both are begging to be written but I refuse to write more than one at a time or neither will ever be finished. Let me know what you think!

-Jenn


	16. Hermione Sees Results

**Disclaimer:** If it were mine, none of us would be here. We would be reading one of my million-dollar books (That's right. I would be reading my own book)!

**Author's Note:** Last chapter! WooHoo!

I am hereby dedicating this last chapter to Reginald the Duck. You have been a wonderful reviewer and I have thoroughly enjoyed our conversations. Thank you.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione, Ginny, and Ron were all out cold in the bedroom. Tom and Hermione had extended their beds so that everyone had a space and now the three were fast asleep.

Tom was sitting, staring off into space, and Harry was sitting on the chair beside him, studying the differences between this Tom Riddle and the one that had some out of the diary.

Suddenly Tom turned to him. "I… How do you know if you're in love?"

Harry continued to contemplate the other man in silence for a moment. Then he spoke. "For me it was when I knew I would do all sorts of things out of character to me for her."

Tom was silent, reflecting on what he would do for the girl with the chestnut hair sleeping in the next room. The truth was, he would do anything to see her happy. He looked at Harry.

"You came to take her back."

Harry was slightly knocked off balance by the change in subject but he pulled himself together. "Yes, but I'm not so sure now."

"Why not?" Tom honestly wanted to know.

Harry looked at the heir of Slytherin for a long moment before sighing and admitting, "Because she loves you. I can't tear you two apart."

The two young men continued to sit in silence before Tom said quietly, "I'll be fine. She belongs with you; with her friends."

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Hermione woke up the next morning with a kink in her neck, an arm draped around her waist, and a leg sprawled across hers.

She identified the owner of the leg as Ron. She half expected that after the night before, the arm would be Tom's. Wrong. She gently extracted herself and looked over to see Harry pulling his arm back towards himself, mumbling in his sleep. She giggled and crept towards the door. She opened it only to be nearly bowled backwards with loudness.

After quickly closing the door behind her so that her boys could continue to sleep, she turned to silently observe Tom and Ginny. The young Weasley was red in the face and was screaming at Tom, who looked more pale then usual.

"You nearly killed me and now you are taking my friend away from me! I will not let you do this. We came for Hermione and we are leaving with Hermione!" she screamed at the wizard.

Tom looked at her in silence while she ranted and then said quietly, "Shouldn't that be her choice?"

"No!" Ginny screamed. Hermione thanked Merlin that one of them had thought to put a silencing charm around the room. "She would just pick you and that's not what's best!"

Hermione saw red. "Want to run that by me again, Gin? I think I may have misheard you. I thought I heard you say that I have no choice whether I stay or go."

Ginny paled slightly before she turned to the irate girl. "You would choose him, but that's not what-"

"Answer the question, Ginevra," was the cold interruption.

"I just think-"

"I didn't ask you to think. Did you," Hermione bit out coldly, "or did you not say that I had no choice in the matter?"

Ginny paled more. "I… I did," she finally admitted.

"Get out," Hermione bit out angrily. "You are the one with no choice in this matter."

Ginny looked ready to argue some more when Hermione drew her wand and pointed it at the younger girl. "Get out," Hermione snapped. Ginny wisely decided to comply… this time.

After the youngest Weasley was gone, Hermione looked over at Tom, who was staring intently at his feet. She walked over and pulled his face up to look her in the eye. "What's wrong, Tom?"

"She's right, you know," said Tom, pulling his gaze from hers once again.

Hermione frowned as she looked at him. "How so?" she settled on asking, rather than flip her lid.

"Your friends are all there, waiting for you to go back. You should go for them," he said, regaining his ability to lie and looking her in the eye.

"But you're here," was her response, as if that was all there was to it. To her, it was.

"I'll be fine."

Hermione looked him in the eye and felt her tears well up. "I wouldn't be."

Heart breaking once again, Tom once again told her to go home before turning and walking from the flat.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Harry awoke to excruciating pain. It was ripping through him like a thousand knives and he could honestly say that he had never felt so awful in his life. Tears began to stream from his green eyes and he stifled his sobs as he searched the room for Hermione. She would know what to do.

It would have been nice and convenient if she had still been there. She was sitting in her living room, sobbing. Tom was gone and the boys would want to go back to their time that day. She would never again see him as he was now. He would undoubtedly go back to his plans of becoming Voldemort. Why was life so difficult?

She heard sounds from the bedroom (she had taken off the silencing spell) and rose to investigate. These were not the usual sounds one made while climbing out of bed.

She opened the door and nearly screamed at the sight of a pale and tearful Harry Potter. Her best friend was in such agony!

In her distraught state, it took her a while to think of what was wrong with him. After a moment, she managed a coherent thought about the cause. Tom. Tom was in more pain than she was, apparently. There was no way Harry would be like this if he was feeling her emotions.

As much as she loved the heir of Slytherin, this weird relationship that they had was the best thing to happen in his life and he had let her go. She could not even begin to fathom why.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Tom was back at work. It was the last place Hermione would think to look for him in his heartbroken state, he figured.

What he hadn't figured on was Hermione's dogged determination. The young woman came tearing into the store. She ran up to the desk, not looking at him as she searched the store, blurting out, "Have you seen Tom Riddle?"

She did a double take at him as his own voice responded to her, "I can do better than that."

She sagged in relief and said bluntly, "I'm not going." He looked as if he was about to argue, so she forcefully added, "You can push me away all you want, Tom Riddle, but I am not going with them. I will be staying in the flat. If that bothers you, feel free to seek residence elsewhere."

He openly gaped at her for a moment before he regained his composure and studied her for a moment. She stared back, her jaw set in just such a way as to make it known that she was not budging on this issue.

Suddenly she said, "I don't understand why you are trying to push me away." She was being completely honest with him. The tears began to well up again.

Tom swallowed a couple of times before speaking. He would not have been able to talk otherwise. "I want you to be happy."

She looked at him with those wide brown eyes. "Is it so hard to believe that I am happy with you?"

Suddenly they heard a snort. Hermione whipped around, eyes narrowed. There behind them was one Cygnus Black.

"Who could be happy with _him_?" he mocked coldly.

Hermione smirked an awful smirk at him. She seemed so cold and inaccessible. "The same girl that _you_ wanted."

He let out a low growl and began to advance on her. She drew her wand and aimed it at his throat. "You wouldn't want me to have to horribly maul you and call it self defence when I speak with the aurors, now, would you?"

"You wouldn't contact the aurors over this," he sneered.

She smiled in the manner that a truly evil being would and replied in a deadly calm voice, "I wouldn't count on that, Black."

"Especially since the lady is not alone," added Tom's horribly calm voice.

Black scowled and looked at Hermione. "She's not a lady."

"You're right," Hermione said, sighing sadly. "You're the lady in this situation."

Tom suddenly felt the need to chuckle. He did not think that had ever happen to him in his life and he decided to give into it.

He saw Hermione jerk in shock. Tom was laughing? Even better: it was driving Black nuts. The longer Tom chuckled, the tighter Black gripped his wand.

"Shut up, Mudblood," he finally snarled.

Hermione had had it. Tom was a little bit surprised. People at Hogwarts had been too afraid to call him that, but Hermione had a lot of rage that could be triggered with that word.

"Say it again, Black. I dare you," she growled, her wand pointed squarely at his nose.

Black gave her his best innocent look. It was not the least bit convincing. "Say what?" he asked innocently.

The young woman smirked. Black would never admit it, but he found her a little bit frightening as she stood there smirking with her wand tip in his face. At that moment she called out the first spell that came to mind: _Levicorpus_, forgetting that the spell had not yet been invented.

Tom gaped at Hermione. Had she made that up? He had always wished that he had the time to develop his own spells. So far it hadn't happened. Apparently it had for her.

Black, meanwhile, was screaming as he hung upside down by his ankle. Hermione was smirking him even now. She walked up to the screaming young man and asked softly, "Would you like down?"

He finally fell silent and nodded. Hermione's smirk broadened as she flicked her wand at him and said quietly, "_Liberacorpus_."

Tom gaped again as the other young man fell to the floor in an undignified heap. Hermione began to laugh at the look on the faces of both of them and then asked Tom, "Do you actually have to be here?"

"Not really. I just needed something to do so I came here. I think they're mad at me for trying to get more hours, actually," he said, referring to his coworkers.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the store, calling goodbye to his coworkers so that they knew Tom was gone and calling back to Black, "You'll never win, Black."

He never looked up.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Even though Tom caught up to her easily with his long legs, she refused to let go of his hand. She held it all the way back to the flat.

When they arrived, a frantic looking Harry appeared. "Have you seen Ginny or… Oh. Hello Riddle."

Tom nodded slightly. "Potter."

"Alright, have either of you seen Ginny?"

Hermione flushed. "I might have… um… told her to… er… get out."

Harry paled, contrasting his skin greatly to Hermione's. "She could be anywhere!" he nearly screamed at her.

"But she is not," said a familiar voice. The three of them turned to see Ginny standing next to the speaker, Albus Dumbledore.

Dumbledore smiled as he looked at the three confused young adults.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked, uncertain if this was really he. After all, Dumbledore was old and grey where, or rather when, Harry was from.

"That would be me," said Dumbledore with a smile, eyes twinkling as per usual. "And you must be Harry. Miss Weasley was just telling me about you and her brother, Ron."

Harry nodded, still stunned at the difference in his favourite professor. He was having difficulty remembering that people change in fifty plus years.

Hermione looked at the professor. "I do not wish to be rude, Sir-"

"And yet accidental rudeness occurs all the time. Perhaps it would be best not to say anything at all, Miss Griffith."

Harry noted that this was remarkably similar to something that Dumbledore had said to his Uncle Vernon once. He was also shocked to hear his friend addressed as a Griffith. There were a great many things that he did not know about this time frame he found himself in.

Hermione, however, was obviously in her element. "Of course, Sir. I was just wondering what brings you here."

Dumbledore studied the young woman before him. She had grown up a lot, and the love between her and Tom radiated off them in waves. He disagreed with Ginny. The two should not be separated unless it was absolutely necessary, which it was not.

"Miss Weasley," he began, "would you be so kind as to go and fetch your brother?"

Ginny nodded and left. Dumbledore turned to Tom, Harry, and Hermione. "I must speak quickly before Miss Weasley returns. I will not be forcing Miss Griffith, or Granger as the case may be," he added, seeing the look on Harry's face, "to go back with you. It is her choice."

At that moment, Ron and Ginny walked over to them. "Mister Weasley, it is wonderful to meet you!" Dumbledore said pleasantly. "We were just beginning to make plans for your trip back to the future as it were." He smiled as Ginny looked covertly at Hermione, who was too busy looking at Harry's lost expression to notice.

"Miss Griffith, what will you be doing?"

Ginny continued to stare intently at Hermione, who was still staring at Harry with concern written all over her face. She finally spoke when Dumbledore was about to repeat the question.

"Staying."

Ginny lost it again. "How could you do that? You're leaving all of your friends for a boy? I thought we agreed that no boy would ever get between us."

Hermione distinctly remembered that deal. She also seemed to remember that it was the one time that she had ever gotten drunk. Bloody Firewhiskey.

"Gin, we were drunk. Not to mention that I have been away from you guys for a while. Besides, we will see each other again."

"And you'll be in your sixties!" Ginny cried.

"Yes, well, I'll be Aunt Hermione then, won't I?"

Ginny began to sob, realising that nothing she did would change Hermione's mind. The older girl was staying behind.

Dumbledore studied the two girls. Suddenly he made a decision. "Miss Weasley, you still have one year left at Hogwarts, correct?" She nodded wordlessly, so he turned to Hermione. "Have you ever thought about teaching, Miss Griffith?"

"Yes," said Hermione eagerly, seeing where this was going.

"Would you be interested in teaching in Miss Weasley's seventh year? That way your friends can come and see you."

"Yes, Sir. What of Tom, Sir?"

Tom looked up sharply at that. "What would you like to do, Tom?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"I have always wanted to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts, Sir," he said eagerly. Dumbledore looked over at Harry, who said that there was not one slotted yet.

"Done," said Dumbledore, conjuring a piece of parchment and a quill from thin air. He jotted down a quick note to himself and handed it to Hermione. "You keep it. My memory is not what it should be now. I can't imagine how terrible it must be when you're from."

Hermione gave him the biggest smile as she took it from him. She looked at her friends and her smile fell. She raced over to Ginny and gave her a giant hug, apologizing for not going with her. Both girls sobbed as they parted. Dumbledore sent the youngest Weasley back to her own time.

She then turned to Ron and gave him a really big hug. "I'm sorry," was all she said to him. It would have taken too long to explain that she was sorry for breaking his heart and for sending him home without her. He seemed to understand, however. He nodded, a single tear running down his face. He roughly wiped it away and stepped towards Dumbledore, nodding. The last thing he saw before returning home was Hermione waving at him.

She turned to Harry and hugged him tightly, whispering in his ear, "Things should be easier for you now. You don't have to kill him. The war is over, Harry, You're free!"

"Thanks to you," he said, sobbing unashamedly. He was losing one of his best friends and she had just told him that she had saved the world for him. He was free to do what he wanted and to talk to whomever he pleased.

The two of them pulled back and never said goodbye. They simply waved to each other as he was blown into his own time by Dumbledore's spell.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Ginny stood up and moved to someplace that she hoped would be out of the way when the other two appeared. Tears were still coursing down her face as she waited for her brother and her boyfriend.

The two soon appeared. She flung herself into Harry's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. As she drew back, she noticed something huge. "Harry! Your scar is gone!"

His hand instinctively shot up to his forehead. It was smooth. He whooped for joy. Voldemort was gone. Hermione had saved them all.

TRHGTRHGTRHGTRHG

Ginny climbed off the Hogwarts Express nervously. Had Hermione remembered to go to the school and get her job? It had been fifty-three years, after all. Maybe she had forgotten!

She continued to be nervous about this as she rode in the horseless carriage (that actually appeared horseless to her again!) with Luna, who chattered on about Crumple Horned Snorkacks, while holding her copy of The Quibbler upside down. Ginny was _so_ not paying attention.

As they climbed out of the carriage, she looked around at the other returning students. She saw a bunch that she knew, as they were in her year, but none she wanted to talk to. The poor girl had never noticed before that all of her friends seemed to have been in the year before hers.

She climbed the steps and headed for the Great Hall for the feast. As she was walking through the door a rather familiar pale hand shoved her.

"Watch it, Weaslette," Draco Malfoy snapped.

"I believe that the young lady was shoved, Mister Malfoy," a familiar voice said.

Ginny and Malfoy turned to the speaker. She found herself looking into a pair of dancing brown eyes. Hermione's eyes.

Malfoy, it seemed, did not recognise her. "I did not shove her."

Her eyebrow arched the way it had when Ginny had seen her last and in a manner that she recognised from Tom. "I never said that you had. Conscience bothering you much?"

Malfoy began to splutter when this new professor leaned over and whispered, "Save your breath, Ferret."

Ginny began to giggle hysterically while Malfoy gaped at the professor. "Who _are_ you?"

"Professor Riddle."

Now Ginny was gaping at least as badly as Malfoy had been. That's when another familiar figure strolled up.

"Is everything alright here?"

Professor Riddle smiled. "Of course, Tom. I just felt the need to make sure that this particular Malfoy took more care around women than his predecessors."

Ginny watched in amusement while Tom's eyebrow rose in the same manner that Hermione's had. "I see. What did he do?"

"He was bothering Ginny, here, the same way his grandfather did to me back at Hogwarts. Remember how he used to bother me?"

Tom smirked, seeing what his wife of the last fifty years was doing. "And what was that, Hermione? I'm afraid my memory is not what it used to be."

Malfoy paused. Hermione? A woman rushing to Weaslette's aid? Surely this was not the same Hermione who had gone missing for the last year. She was too old.

Hermione smirked, seeing the wheels in his head turning. "Do you recall when I was Hermione Grange… Griffith?"

She deliberately slipped up and watched as Malfoy's face began to turn unnatural colours. "Are you alright, Mister Malfoy?"

"Granger?" he gasped out.

"Of course," she said with a smile. "Why are you still in school, Mister Malfoy? You were supposed to graduate last year?"

He looked at the floor and mumbled, unsure of how to treat this Granger-turned-Professor.

"Speak up, man," The 'Tom' professor said.

Someone opening the door to the Great Hall and herding in the stragglers was all that saved him. He and Ginny went with them.

Hermione and Tom looked at each other and smirked before heading to the Great Hall.

When everyone was in the Great Hall and seated, Dumbledore stood and smiled out and the body of students sitting and looking up at him expectantly.

"Before our minds our clouded with food, I have a few announcements. First of all, I would like to introduce our two new professors. Professor H. Riddle, or Professor R. will be teaching Arithmancy. Professor T. Riddle, or simply Professor Riddle will be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. Please give them a warm welcome."

The students all clapped while looking at the new teachers curiously.

"And now to move on to other announcements so that we may eat sooner, Mister Filch has added singing stuffed animals to the list of banned items, as they are distracting. That makes a total of eight hundred and ninety two items on the list of banned items. To see this list, see Mister Filch's office door. As well…"

TRHRTRHRTRTRHRTRHR

Ginny caught up with Hermione that evening after dinner. "Professor R., wait up!"

Hermione smiled and walked with Ginny to Hermione and Tom's chambers. The two settled down in armchairs in the sitting room and chatted. Tom soon joined them. He was the head of Slytherin this year, while Minerva McGonagall was still the head of Gryffindor. As a result of this, he had been out showing the first years their dorms because he did not trust his prefects.

He came in and sat on the couch. Ginny noted that he was as rigid as he had always been. In fact, if not for the few grey hairs scattered throughout his full head of hair, he looked as if he had not aged at all really.

Hermione was just as relaxed as usual. She had aged but she had done so gracefully and was rather beautiful, even in her early seventies.

Hermione smiled as she noticed Ginny studying her and Tom. To her it had been fifty-three years. To Ginny, it had been a couple of months.

Shockingly, it was Tom who broke the silence. "How have you been, Weasley?"

Ginny smiled. "You might as well call me Ginny. I call you Tom, after all. I have been fine. You?"

Hermione inserted at that moment, "We have also been fine, if you can say that fifty-three years can be 'fine'."

Ginny smiled. She felt that things were going well. She wasn't awkward around her friend and she was able to talk to them. She decided to ask them her burning question.

"Riddle me this: how did you guys get married?"

It was not until both Hermione and Tom were looking at her strangely that she was aware of what she had said.

She made a disgusted face. "That pun was _totally_ not intended."

They all laughed, even Tom!

TRHRTRHRTRTRHRTRHR

Hermione waved goodbye to the youngest Weasley as she left for bed that night. She then turned to her husband.

"Did you read the letter from the kids?" Both of their daughters, Mandy and Sarah, lived together, working incredibly hard for the Ministry and both saying that they had not time for boys or any social life at all, really.

"Of course I did," said Tom easily. "Was it the same owl as last time? You know. The one that flew into the window?"

"Of course," Hermione laughed. "He's their owl. What did you expect?"

"The kind of quality I always expect from our girls."

The two of them smiled and then he held out his hand. "Are you coming to bed, my lady?" he asked teasingly.

She smiled. "In a moment. I want to write the girls first."

As Tom headed for bed, Hermione thought about all the amazing things that had happened that day. She was beginning a new job, she had met up with Ginny, and she had stuck it to another Malfoy. Oh, life was good.

She pulled out a piece of parchment and began her letter to her daughters. She had a lot to tell them about.

THE END 

**Author's Note: **It's over, folks. That was the end. Isn't it sad and wonderful all at once?

I would like to thank all of my wonderful reviewers. I appreciate all of you and I apologize humbly to those of you that I never responded to. I tried but there were just so many of you!

A huge thanks and kudos to Right or Ryn and to Reginald the Duck. The two of you have been fantastic sounding boards and you gave me so many ideas and so much encouragement. This story would not have finished without you two.

Keep an eye out for my next story, _The Chieftain_. I want to finish figuring out what goes in what chapter and then I shall write. I am hoping that planning it will make updates a little timelier.

-Jenn


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